Welcome to the nature & wildlife learning resource page!

All the organisms found in a pond form a community where every organism is dependent on each other for survival and in any pond, it is essential that there is a balance of all these different organisms so there is enough food for each species to survive and reproduce. So, let's take a closer look at some pond life...

The Life Cycle of a Dragonfly

There are three stages in the life of a dragonfly, an egg, a nymph and finally an adult.

Male and female dragonflies mate while flying in the air, before the female lays her eggs in the water, or preferably on a plant near the surface of the water.

 When the eggs are ready to hatch, nymphs will emerge.

A nymph is a small, wingless creature with a crusty hump on its back that lives in the water. Nymphs feed on mosquito larvae and other aquatic insects and worms. Sometimes they'll even eat other smaller nymphs.

They like to live in ponds and other marshy areas where there is calm water.

It can take up to four years for a nymph to grow into a dragonfly.

However, if by the time the nymph has fully developed the temperatures is too cold, it will remain in the water until springtime.

Eventually, when the weather is warmer, it will crawl up the stem of a plant and shed its outer skin on a leaf, becoming an adult dragonfly.

The adult dragonfly has a life span of about two months, during which time it will search for a mate and continue the life cycle.

As a frog grows, it moves through three stages of life, first it is an egg, then larva and then finally it becomes an adult. 

As it moves through each stage, its body physically changes, which is called metamorphosis.

 

When a male frog is ready to mate, which is usually around springtime, he will move air in and out of his vocal sac, creating a loud croaking noise to attract a female. The male frog will then mount the female and fertilise her eggs as she lays them. These eggs will usually clump together in a gooey looking mass known as 'spawn'.

Frogs are usually very careful to make sure they lay their eggs in calm water among vegetation, where they are relatively hidden, so they are protected from harm and predators.

Over the course of around three weeks the eggs will develop, dividing into more and more cells, until the eggs finally hatch, and tiny tadpoles break free. 

 

Tadpoles have a round body, gills, a mouth and a long tail they move from side to side to propel them through water.

Once they've hatched, tadpoles will absorb the rest of the contents of their egg, giving them much-needed nourishment and energy.

 

Tadpoles, now in the larvae stage, will largely feed on algae and plants, so they are considered herbivores.

As they swim, they pass water through their gills and filter out the plant material for them to consume. As they eat and grow, a tadpole's body will change again, elongating and developing hind legs.

As it grows bigger, a tadpole's diet will change, and they'll eat larger plant materials and even insects. Finally, the tadpole will produce front legs and skin will grow over its gills.

 

At around twelve weeks, the tadpole's gills and tail have been fully absorbed into its body, meaning it is now an adult frog, ready to explore dry land and eventually repeat the life cycle!

 

Ponds are surrounded by and filled with plant life, such as algae, water lilies, milkwort and pondweed, which all play a very important role in the delicate ecosystem.

Not only do they provide food and shelter to many organisms, but they also oxygenate the water through photosynthesis.

  

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants take energy from sunlight and use it to convert carbon dioxide and water into food.

Through this process, oxygen is created as a by-product maintaining a high level of oxygen in the pond water, which is vital for other organisms to thrive.

When plants and animals die, their bodies, which are known as detritus, will eventually sink to the bottom of the pond where they'll be broken down by bacteria and will decay into the earth, eventually providing vital nutrients for plants.

And so, the cycle begins again!