Pond Habitat

A pond is defined as a quiet, shallow body of water with little wave action and a mud-covered bottom. Plants typically grow along the shore. In a pond, temperatures are fairly uniform from top to bottom and tend to change with the air temperature. Within a pond ecosystem there are habitat zones where distinct groups of plants and animals are found.

Some ponds at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center were left from the activities of Camp Logan, an army training camp that closed in 1919. Other shallow ponds were created artificially in existing low-lying areas in order to attract wildlife and harbor mosquito predators. There are no naturally occurring ponds in this area. Ponds are relatively short-lived ecosystems. They gradually fill with organic debris and vegetation. At the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center we slow this process by periodically digging out certain ponds or removing accumulated organic debris.