Common pond skater
Gerris lacustris
- Size
- About 1cm long
- Look for it
- March to October
- Where
- Ponds, ditches and slow streams
An insect that walks on water, rowing across the surface on long, thin legs.
The ducklings that follow you
This page is a pond. Move your pointer across the water and watch the ripples: your animal will paddle, row, wriggle or leap after you. Choose a different animal at the bottom, and tap the notes to open them.
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01 · FollowingFollow mum
Ducklings learn to follow their mother within hours of hatching. It's called imprinting.
02 · HatchingOut of the nest fast
Within a day of hatching, the ducklings leave the nest and head for the water.
03 · ColourWho's who
Male mallards have a green head; females are speckled brown. Both have a blue patch on the wing.
04 · WaterproofKeeping dry
Ducks spread oil from a gland near their tail over their feathers to keep them waterproof.
05 · FoodNot bread
Bread isn't good for ducks. Peas, sweetcorn and oats are much better if you want to feed them.
06 · FeedingBottoms up
Mallards are "dabbling" ducks: they tip upside down to reach food under the water.
Meet them all
Who's who in the pond
Whirligig beetle
Gyrinus substriatus
- Size
- About 6mm long
- Look for it
- April to October
- Where
- Pond and canal surfaces, in groups
Shiny black beetles that spin round and round on the surface in busy little groups.
Mallard and ducklings
Anas platyrhynchos
- Size
- Adults about 58cm long
- Look for it
- March to July
- Where
- Ponds, lakes, rivers and park waters
A mother mallard with a line of fluffy ducklings paddling along behind her.
Common frog
Rana temporaria
- Size
- About 7cm long
- Look for it
- February to October
- Where
- Ponds, damp gardens and long grass
A smooth, olive-brown frog with long back legs, hopping from lily pad to lily pad.
Frog tadpoles
Rana temporaria
- Size
- Up to about 3cm
- Look for it
- March to June
- Where
- Shallow, sunny edges of ponds in spring
A wriggling shoal of baby frogs, all head and tail.
Smooth newt
Lissotriton vulgaris
- Size
- About 10cm long
- Look for it
- February to October
- Where
- Ponds in spring, damp gardens the rest of the year
A small amphibian with a long tail and a spotty orange belly, swimming with a slow wiggle.
Great diving beetle
Dytiscus marginalis
- Size
- About 3cm long
- Look for it
- March to October
- Where
- Weedy ponds and lakes
A big, glossy beetle and a fierce underwater hunter, with a bright yellow edge.
Through the year
When to look for them
The green months are when you're most likely to see each one in Britain. The animal following you is shown in red.
Pond skater
Whirligig beetles
Ducklings
Frog
Tadpoles
Newt
Diving beetle
Make room for them
Six tips for a wildlife pond
Small is fine
Even a washing-up bowl sunk into the ground will bring in pond skaters, beetles and thirsty birds.
Give them a way out
A gently sloping side, or a ramp of stones, lets frogs, newts and hedgehogs climb in and out safely.
Leave out the fish
Goldfish eat tadpoles and other small pond animals. A pond without fish has far more wildlife.
Use rainwater
Fill and top up with rainwater from a water butt if you can. Tap water has extra nutrients that turn ponds green.
Don't move frogspawn
Moving spawn between ponds can spread disease. If your pond is right for them, frogs will find it themselves.
Let the edges grow
Long grass and plants round the edge give young frogs and newts somewhere safe to hide when they leave the water.
Photo gallery
Real photos of the animals on this page. Tap one to see it bigger.
Common pond skater
Whirligig beetle
Mallard and ducklings
Common frog
Frog tadpoles
Smooth newt
Great diving beetle
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons and are used under free licences. Open a photo to see who took it.
Now go pond watching
Sit quietly by a pond for five minutes and keep still. The longer you look, the more you'll see moving.
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