Photo Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Image by Reto Stöckli

The introduction of a water feature to a landscape, no matter how small or large brings with it an almost immediate response from mother nature.  As NASA knows, water equals life, but it is a lot easier, and cheaper, to introduce it to a garden than it is to find it on another planet.

Dragonfly Larva, a creature of the deep.

Introduce water and you will introduce a cast of unexpected characters that will enrich your outdoor experience in ways you cannot possibly imagine, some of these creatures would be right at home on another planet, like this scary dragonfly larva.

Green Darner Dragonfly

But what majestic creatures they ultimately turn into.

There is always something new to be discovered with the introduction of this simple, nature-magnetic element.

Growing up in Scotland I was surrounded by water, I fly-fished in streams, tied fishing flies that mimicked fly hatches on river banks. I developed an intrinsic connection to the wildlife that surrounded these aquatic environments, an affiliation that I still hold precious today.

Now living in Texas, the immersion into my own urban water world happened almost immediately after installing my above-ground 900 gallon stock tank. I was amazed just how easy it was to set this up.

Obtain stock tank and ensure it is level…fill with water…drop in pump…add filtration system…wait a few days for the water to dechlorinate…add fish…add potted plants of choice and some for oxygenation purposes…Done!

I was captivated by the pond life that this water feature immediately attracted, almost as soon as I had completed filling it.

A couple of years later, with a natural ecosystem flourishing, I began to see creatures that I had not introduced like this shiny amber snail.

Then came long beaded strings of eggs,

which matured into toads.

Plants matured and cast amazing reflections…

…and my cattails grew and grew.

Myself?

I am now up to three water features and cannot imagine not having the relaxing sound of water in my garden.

Take the plunge, integrate a water feature and meet some amazing new and diverse aquatic friends, I assure you, you will not regret it.