With small, thoughtful changes, you can create a beautiful space where wildlife can thrive, and a garden that brings you calm, connection, and enjoyment every day.

So where better to start than creating a beautiful pond, or adding an alternative water source for your local wildlife?

Water is one of the most important elements we can offer wildlife, and one of the most undervalued. That’s why January at Sam’s Sanctuary is all about ponds and other water sources.

At this time of year, water can be scarce or frozen, yet so many species depend on it to survive. From birds and mammals to amphibians, insects and even soil life, every living thing needs water.

Ponds create entire ecosystems. They provide drinking water, breeding sites, hunting grounds and safe refuge. Frogs, newts and dragonflies rely on them for their life cycles, birds bathe and drink from them, and countless insects depend on their edges. Even the surrounding plants and soil thrive because of water.

January is the perfect time to plan or install a pond, wildlife will find it quickly, often within days. And you don’t need a big garden or a large pond either. Even a small, shallow water source can make a huge difference for many species.

As with all of my 12 Elements of a Wildlife Garden, water works best when it’s part of a bigger picture- alongside the other elements, plants, shelter, soil, and an organic approach. Together, these elements can create a balanced ecosystem.

Alongside ponds, it’s really important to offer a variety of additional water sources throughout your garden. Aim to have several dotted around your space.

Low, shallow trays provide easy access for hedgehogs and other mammals. Raised birdbaths help birds drink and bathe safely. Shallow dishes filled with pebbles give bees and other insects a place to land and drink without risk of drowning.

These simple additions help replace vital water sources that have been lost as natural habitats have declined, and they’re one of the easiest, most effective ways we can support wildlife in our own gardens.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I wish you a very happy, wildlife-filled New Year.

Feel free to hop back through the monthly elements I’ve shared over the past year, I hope you’ll find them useful and that they’ll inspire you to add new features to your garden, or improve the ones you already have. Every small change helps.