Toads in the Garden

Toads in the garden are very beneficial. Do you have toads in your garden? If not, you should! Did you know that one single little frog can devour over 100 bugs in one night?  Toads will not eat your garden plants, they are carnivores and much rather eat live bugs and insects.

If are fortunate to have toads in your yard, then congratulations, that is an indication you have an environment that is clean and most likely free of pesticides and fertilizers.

If you want to ensure you have these beneficial creatures in your garden, they need water only to reproduce. During the day, like the winter, it remains buried in a burrow or a hole that it digs. It’s interesting that they only use their back legs to burrow themselves deep in the wet earth.

We like to have toad houses for them that we place under cool, dark bushes. During the day, he hides under stones, logs, or in the hole from which he leaves only in the evening.

Difference between a frog and a toad

Meet Mr. Frog

Meet Toad Hall

First, both frogs and toads are considered amphibians and although they are similar in some ways, they are definitely different in more ways.

• Frogs have smooth, slimy, wet skin and the toads have bumpy (warty) dry skin
• Frogs will lay their eggs in one mass while toads’ eggs are laid in more of a chain-some species of toads actually will live birth instead of laying a chain of eggs
• Frog legs are long legs, hence while some consume them as a meal, toads have shorter legs which are not eaten by humans
• Frogs like to leap like “leapfrog”, while toads prefer to crawl
• A toad can “puff” itself up if it gets scared or attacked by a predator to appear larger than it is
• Toads are more adaptable to drier habitats, which means they spend less time in the water than the frogs
• All toads only enter the water to spawn, unlike the frogs who live in the water
• The eyes of the frogs bulge out of their heads and toads’ eyes do not stick out of their heads and are shaped more shaped like that of a football
• Tongues are both sticky but the frog has a longer tongue
• Teeth are only found in the upper jar of the frogs (only for holding prey) and toads have none
• Eating, both frogs and toads, don’t chew, they swallow their meals whole

Types of Toads

The common toad, Bufonidae of its scientific name, is the species of amphibians, like the frog, which you will meet most frequently. This type of species has over 300 species! Slender and short-legged, it measures about 4 inches, and its color, sometimes spotted, varies from brown to gray through the olive green or yellowish brown.

The prominent glands placed behind his pupils give him a globular look unattractive but effective since he sees in the dark of the night. There are many varieties of toads among which:

• common toad
• green toad
• calamitic toad
• midwife toad
• buffalo toad
• arboreal toad, etc.

The positive action of the toad

All this is diabolical folklore, back to our furrows! The toad will play an important role in eliminating pests in the garden. Its food consists of what it hunts, namely insects, woodlice, centipede, and earthworms, but especially slugs, snails, and caterpillars particularly boring in the garden when they attack salads, strawberries, and other fruits and vegetables in the making.

Unfortunately, the toad is a victim of the disappearance of wetlands (which are urbanized more and more!). Pesticides pollute rivers and other ponds by poisoning them and vehicles that crush them on the roads. We must do whatever we can to encourage the toads to stay in our yards and gardens.

What do Toads Eat?

Toads are auxiliaries of agriculture. This means they are useful in fields as in gardens. As soon as they reach adulthood, they feed on:

• slugs
• mosquitos
• cutworms
• bugs
• spiders
• caterpillars
• insects
• lizards
• grasshoppers
• beetles
• grubs
• more rarely small frogs

Toad Shelter

If you want to use toads to fight pests such as slugs and spiders and more, build a habitat or toad shelter for them in your garden. Know that they love the little wet and dark corners in which they shelter during the day. To make a toad shelter, you can use:

• some big stones
• bark plates
• terra cotta pot
• small boards of untreated wood

Choose the solution that suits you best and put a toad shelter with an opening of about 2-3 inches. The diameter should be at least 6 inches but not larger. The toad will be able to come and go as it pleases and fulfills perfectly its role of natural insecticide in your garden.

I like to dig a hole, add a little sand and wet it down before placing the shelter on it. This makes it easier for the toad to burrow and the dampness attracts it. Also, we live on a mountain ridge which is mostly rocks and ledges and I want to ensure there is enough soil under the house for the toad to burrow.

How to Attract Toads in the Garden

Unfortunately, humans have abused toads for centuries. We empty their ponds, we spray toxic pesticides on our gardens, we plow the fields where they hide, we crush them with our cars, and we cut the forests where they live to transform them into vast expanses of asphalt and lawn (toads can feed on lawns, but cannot shelter there), etc. There is no doubt that humans are the worst enemies of the toad.

Fortunately, toads are very adaptable and will come back if you give them a chance. Here are some actions you can take to attract them:

Toads Love Ponds

Unlike frogs, which live in and around a pond all year round, toads mainly use the pond for breeding, and then up to the metamorphosis of tadpoles into small terrestrial toads. Theoretically, they do not need a pond afterward.

Most gardeners, on the other hand, see the pond as an ornamental rather than strictly a habitat for toads and will want it to be attractive throughout the summer and into the fall, filling it with water lilies, water hyacinths, etc. And so much the better if the pond can be as ornamental as it is useful!

Make sure your pond has at least one inclined wall to facilitate the evacuation of small toads. If not, install some partially submerged flat rocks near the edge so that they can reach the ground.

Ideally, the pond would have a shady part and a sunny part, have a sandy bottom, and include a good amount of aquatic plants. Not only do these plants protect the tadpoles from aerial predators, but they also feed them, as tadpoles consume mostly small algae growing on the stems of plants.

Do not add fish to the water: they will eat the tadpoles!

Do not over-clean your garden

The maniacs of horticultural cleanliness do not make good hosts for toads. They rely on dead leaves and decaying stems to hide them from predators and to provide some moisture. And detritus is home to many animals they feed on.

In the fall, toads bury themselves deep in the soil, usually under the litter of fallen leaves or under logs, to hibernate in the shelter of frost. If you keep your garden spotless, where will they go?

Toad Shelters

You can install a toad shelter in your garden where they can spend the day. There are commercial shelters, often a terracotta container with a toad-sized opening, but a simple terracotta pot raised on some stones will work just as well. (Terracotta is an interesting product for toads, as it tends to create a cooler and wetter environment, a benefit in hot weather.) Or build a small cave with rocks and cover it with part with soil, mulch, or dead leaves.

Always place your toad house in a cool, shady place.

Attracting Insects for Toads with Light

Artificial light will attract moths, cranes, ephemera, beetles, and all kinds of other insects that toads like to eat. And many of them are enemies of your garden, so the toad and you will be happy with the results.

The light should be no more than 3 feet from the ground, of course, because toads do not have a long sticky tongues like frogs that can catch insects at a safe distance. Toads grab their prey with their mouths and must be close by to eat them.

You can use one of those small solar lamps so abundant on the market as a toad lamp too. Check your local Dollar Tree, as they may carry them.

Avoid Using Pesticides in the Garden

This applies to insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides, especially synthetic products, but even some organic products. Most are toxic to toads. If you need to treat a plant, use the least harmful pesticide possible (insecticidal soap, for example) and spray only this plant, not the whole area. If possible, treat in the morning so that the pesticide has time to dry before dark, when toads become active.

Handling Toads

Of course, you can move a toad that is in a difficult situation. And do not hesitate to take one in your hand to teach the importance of toads to children. But excessive handling is harmful, especially because we humans emit harmful amphibian oils from our pores.

Toads, with their dry skin, are less sensitive to these oils than their wet-skinned cousins, frogs, but nevertheless, the fewer manipulations, the better. And, if possible, wash your hands before taking one and most important, after touching one. The best option, use gloves!

Finally, children often find the toads fascinating and want to bring one home to keep as a pet. Discourage them gently by explaining that to be happy, a toad must live in nature, and ask them to put it back where they found it. Please read below before considering letting you or anyone handle a toad.

Toad Warning:

Read it Toads what the National Wildlife Federation has to say about the paratoid glands in toads that produce a very poisonous secretion that can cause an allergic reaction to humans and pets. Please educate yourself for your safety as well as your children and pets’ safety.

I am with my fur-baby whenever she goes outside, so I know what she is doing at all times. I do not worry about her bothering the toads since I monitor her every step. We have a lot of foxes, snakes, and birds of prey that would see her as a meal, so I am always with her.

Read Toad Venom Toxicosis in Dogs about toad venom toxicosis in dogs. Even if you decide not to attract toads, if your environment is eco-friendly, they will come and you will need to decide on whether to remove the toads or let them stay. We choose to encourage them to stay.

Read what Wikipedia has to say on toads Toad!

Toads: they are ugly to most (but not to me) but they are also very useful. I’m sure you’ll agree that these warty creatures are some of the gardener’s best friends and deserve all our attention!

Will you be offering a toad house this year to toad? Do you know valuable these little creatures are? Please share your comments on toads and if you encourage them to your home.

If you do decide to try something mentioned in the blog post; always do a patch test on your forearm or side of the hand to ensure you are not allergic or having an adverse reaction to the product(s).

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