Most children enjoy watching animals--it's both fun and educational. So, why not use landscaping rocks to create your own wildlife park close to home?
You can create a wildlife sanctuary with a backyard pond. A pond may attract varieties of birds, frogs, turtles, and even the occasional deer. You can even stock it with goldfish. The pond doesn't have to be very large or deep, but it should be natural looking, and fit into the surroundings.
Landscaping Rocks Can Create a Natural Setting
A backyard pond only needs a small amount of unused space. Use spray paint to outline your pond, and excavate down a few inches inside your painted line. Use the soil you remove to build up around your painted line. Make it fairly shallow, as you do not want potential safety problems for small children, and birds are leery of deep water.
Install a rubber liner in your excavated area, and use landscaping rocks around the perimeter to create a natural-appearing pond. Make sure any sharp edges on the rocks do not puncture the liner. Birds enjoy standing on ledges near water, and frogs like to sun themselves, so build some ledges with your landscaping rocks. Iowa State University has good information on how to attract wildlife with your pond, and Pennsylvania State University offers tips on building a backyard pond.
If your yard has a bit of slope, you can use landscaping rocks to build a small waterfall. Use a water pump to circulate the water to the top of the waterfall. You can adjust the sound of the waterfall by:
- Changing the volume of water circulating.
- Shifting the distance the water falls.
- Changing the surface the water hits, such as rocks, or directly into the pond.
It may only take a weekend to build a wildlife attraction that you and your children can enjoy all year long.
