African Wildlife and Environment Issue 66

FAUNA, FLORA & WILDLIFE

FAUNA, FLORA & WILDLIFE

Water is essential to all life. When gardening for wildlife, it is the second most important element (after food) of creating favourable habitat. If water is provided in the garden, it will be used by every creature that has access to it. If one investigates how water is used by many living organisms, one can provide it in a manner that encourages a wide variety of creatures to not only visit, but spend longer or even take up residence in the garden. Apart from needing to drink it, water is used to bathe in, and to cool down when very hot. Some creatures actively use the water’s edge or the water body itself to source food, such as plants, fish, crustaceans, amphibians and invertebrates, that inhabit the shallows and the body of water itself. Ways to provide water in the garden

not be so numerous as to take up all the bathing space. Positioning of this type of water body is important if one wants to maximise usability. It should be visible from a distance so that birds moving across the space see it and come down to drink or bathe. By default, this type of water provision is shallow, so will heat up and be prone to algal growth if it is left to bake in the hot sun. Place the container or bird bath in semi-shade or where it will be shaded for part of the day, ideally for the afternoon. Positioning it near shrubbery or a tree will allow for creatures to approach the water cautiously. This is essential for shy birds and smaller creatures that are nervous of predators. If there is a perch close by then birds are also tempted to visit repeatedly in a short space of time, thereby increasing your chances of observing them. We will discuss suitable shrubs to use near birdbaths and water dishes later in this article. Offer water at different levels and inmultiple places in the garden. The advantage of doing this is that there is almost always at least one water body that is safely accessible. If one water body is commandeered by a certain bird or creature, then there is at least water available to drink from somewhere else in the garden. Water in a dish can be provided at any level, and positioning it at ground level means that lizards, ants, and other flightless creatures can access the water. By making provision for these creatures to drink, one sustains many pollinating insects as well as an important component of many birds’ diets. A garden that is home to many different organisms is a healthy garden, as it will sustain a more complex ecosystem due to the many interactions that become possible between living creatures and plants, and their habitat. As water volume is limited by the small size of these water containers, it is essential to check themregularly and refill when necessary. They may also need cleaning more regularly, but their size means that it should not be a time-consuming activity. Ponds A garden pond provides a larger body of water, and therefore more interactions between wildlife and their garden environment. Not only can they drink and bathe, but they can source food in and / or around the pond. A well designed pond can actually attract a greater variety of wildlife than any other feature in the wildlife garden. Birds and small mammals drink, bathe and sometimes hunt for food on the edges of and in a pond. Frogs and toads require water to breed, as do many insect species such as dragonflies, mayflies and pond skimmers. Water snails will live their whole life in the pond and other completely aquatic species such as fish and microscopic invertebrates can obviously only exist in the garden with the presence

Gardening for wildlife: WATER

In this, third in a series of articles on gardening for wildlife, we talk about the second most important element of creating favourable habitat, and that is a good source of water.

Linda Da Luca

How one offers water, and for what purpose, will often be restricted by the size of the outdoor space available. A shallow dish of water, or a bird bath, are ideal for patios and small gardens, while a garden pond (large or small) or a dam have the advantage of offering water as an integral part of a more complex and healthy habitat. A garden pond of no more than a metre or two across can offer a multitude of attractions in the form of water to drink, for bathing, or a hunting ground for food, and refuge for amphibious and aquatic creatures. Dishes and bird baths These provide restricted amounts of water, simply for drinking and bathing. Their advantage is that water can be provided in even the smallest of outdoor spaces. They can be positioned without worry about avoiding rocks and cables that may be underground. To make water accessible to insects, lizards and some smaller birds, any dish or birdbath used, needs at least one shallow edge. Placing stones, pebbles or rocks in the water can provide these shallow edges, if the water container does not have them. Enough of the stones should be exposed for creatures to stand on securely, and they should

Nooks and crannies in wildlife pond

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