Some pond plants grow entirely underwater or have parts that extend above the surface. Leafy plants may float on the surface. Other plants can grow along the pond edge. If left alone, ponds will eventually fill in with dirt and debris until they become solid land. It often takes hundreds of years for a pond to be transformed from a body of clear water into soil.
Ponds often support a large variety of animal and plant life.
Wind and streams can carry in eggs, seeds, and organisms that develop into various life forms. Pond animals include birds, crayfish, fish, frogs, insects, and turtles. Microscopic organisms also thrive in most ponds. Water temperature of ponds is fairly even from top to bottom and changes with the outside air temperature. There is little wave action in the water body, and the pond bottom is usually mud-covered.