Critters in the back yard
Frogs and toads are good for the garden. They eat lots of bugs that eat our plants. 1 toad can eat 1,000 bugs in one summer!
They are amphibians, animals that live on land, but need water to mate and deposit their eggs.
When the eggs hatch, they look like fish, called tadpoles or pollywogs. As they grow their tail disappears and legs appear.
Amphibians are sensitive to chemical pollutants. Their skin absorbs the pollutants like a sponge and their eggs have no protective coating. So, if you want to have them around, you need to grow your garden organically, without the use of chemicals.
They have long, sticky tongues that can catch flying insects going by. They hibernate like bears for the winter. They bury themselves in the ground or frogs go to the bottom of the pond.
Frogs and toads like very similar, but they are different animals. A frog lives in and near ponds, has smooth skin, and may be brown with dark patches on their cheeks or they may be green.
Toads are mostly brown, with rough, dry skin with warts. Live farther from the water, like in the woods. They hunt at night (they are nocturnal).
To attract frogs and toads to your garden:
- Build a pond with sloping sides & logs to float on.
- Frogs over-winter in the water, so depth of pond must be below the freezing depth in your area.
- Plant native plants next water, those are plants that you would find in wild fields and woods. They can hide there.
- Have rock piles and logs for shelter.
- Make a toad house for the garden and place in a moist, shady part of the garden.
- We have instructions for making a toad house out of a clay pot, just click HERE.
Do you think he knows the other guy isn’t real?