Mini ponds are 'tiny universes' of biodiversity for gardens and windowsills

Mini ponds can be made from plant pots, old sinks, buckets - anything that can hold water. Ponds support more biodiversity than larger waterbodies, even rivers and lakes. If we add ponds into the mix, we can create blue corridors that connect pond to pond, lake to lake, and river to river - all the way to the edge of the ocean. Networks of ponds - or "Pondscapes" - are crucial for biodiversity. "I've only got a small garden and live in a very urban area. I've got container ponds in my back garden - which are just teeming with life. They've got dragonflies, water beetles, snails. They are an oasis of wildlife in the urban environment." If people create homes for wildlife in their gardens, she says, "They will be playing a very active role in bringing back that freshwater landscape" - and wildlife will arrive. "Today, the ponds you might encounter are often garden ponds, farm ponds, fishing ponds, or moats around castles. So many of the ponds in existence today are human in origin." Back in our garden, we were visiting our mini ponds daily, excited to see what might have made its home there.