How can I attract Toads to my Garden?

Hey_J · Post by **Hey_J** » Jul 29, 2007 11:58 pm

Hi folks! I mostly lurk here, anymore, but found myself with *toad envy*
after reading the post about the snake in the Blue Angel!

I think I might have two toads already, one from a friend's house and one from
next door who had found one somewhere and finally released it in their
garden and I think it's wandered over to play in my yard now! But, I'd like
more of them!

Anyone have any suggestions about attracting and keeping them in my garden?

Linda P · Post by **Linda P** » Jul 30, 2007 8:17 am

Hey, Janice
One thing I can definitely recommend is a small pond. Since I got mine finished just a little over a month ago, I've already had a batch of baby toads hatch out. The little babies are spreading out across the garden. There have been toads here since I moved in 21 years ago, but as the years have gone by, I find more of them. I don't use chemicals unless I absolutely must. No routine spraying of fertilizer or lawn weed killer, insect killers, etc. If you keep your garden entirely free of any insects, there's nothing for the toads to eat.

Some nice shady, moist spots are good, too.
Oh, and if you have little boys around, you really have to keep an eye on them. I've retrieved toads from a grandson's pockets more than once.

Linda P

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » Jul 30, 2007 8:18 am

Well, if you have snakes around there, you'll probably have toads too!

We find them in the open fields when the weeds grow up, under damp areas like in the bird sanctuary where I'm constantly changing bird baths and under the rocky and mulched areas. They love sandy soil here too. Used to find them in the 12X12 sand box when we'd water it down to build in, and they'd come up out of it in the mornings!

And while helpign someone with their yard this last month, we found them under the edging every morning while working. I think the dew (wet area) would attract them.

so, I'd say add a pond, wet area, even a bird bath area set on the ground might do it.

Post by **Chris_W** » Jul 30, 2007 9:13 am

Hi Janice

I was also thinking toads probably like a moist environment, and then I got thinking how I've seen them in both wet and dry areas as adults, but never thought about how the babies need a pond to grow up in.

I found this link to the Michigan DNR that might be helpful:

How to Attract Toads

I see a lot of fat toads around the front lights at night since the bugs collect there. Good luck!

Chris

VThosta/daylilylover · Post by **VThosta/daylilylover** » Jul 30, 2007 9:14 am

I read somewhere that a cracked piece of pottery set on its side in the shade provides a nice home for them. I have many toads (no water feature) just a lot of rain and shade, but no one seems to live in the little home I provided for them. Perhaps it would work for you.

Pieter · Post by **Pieter** » Jul 30, 2007 9:37 am

While toads apparently have an appetite for slugs, this big toad (lower left) has never seen it's way to deal with that big black and tan 'slug'

. We refer to Ace and his buddy Neka as our black and tan slugs since they have a way of quickly denuding Hosta petioles. Matter of fact I had to lift a poor Golden Tiara yesterday that had been reduce to a bunch of petiole sticks and one small leaf!

JoshS · Post by **JoshS** » Jul 30, 2007 10:42 am

A pond will do the trick!

hagranger · Post by **hagranger** » Jul 30, 2007 11:00 am

Watch those cats and wandering animals and try to have a good fence! If you have neighborhood cats and wandering dogs it might be a good idea to trap them out ... I had a couple of wonderful toads and found both dead from neighborhood pets. I have three cats and they are indoors all the time to prevent them from wandering into someone else's gardens. And our dog, before she died, would find a toad and try to play with it. I had to be on my toes to make sure Duncan didn't hurt it.
A splash pond on the ground helps attract them. My compost piles were also full of them so I had to be careful when turning the piles, especially in the Spring.
Helen

Spider · Post by **Spider** » Jul 30, 2007 11:44 am

They burry themselves in loose soil and leaf litter to over winter too. I think they also do it in the summer to keep cool. The most toads I've ever seen were all under the security lights at the ends of the barns I worked at where all the moths and bugs were. They were not hurting for food!

Wild Dog · Post by **Wild Dog** » Jul 30, 2007 12:31 pm

Water and it doen't take much, 5gal is probably plenty then go to someone who has a water feature and scoop up a hand full of eggs from the water.

petal*pusher · Post by **petal*pusher** » Jul 30, 2007 1:02 pm

Wanna know my secret?!?

On some of those first warm spring nights when the frogs start their beautiful chorus...if I see a toad in the road...I carefully pull over and go back and grab 'im!! Too many get splattered...I feel I'm saving their little lives...and my gardens become good homes to them!

Hopefully I'll be able to put in a garden feature next spring. The pond at school attracts some really interestin' stuff!.....p

Hey_J · Post by **Hey_J** » Jul 30, 2007 2:52 pm

Oh wow, thanks everyone!! I appreciate your responses and your suggestions!

I do have a pond, but its made from a 100 gal. farm water-trough! Wait,
"a picture is worth a 1,000 words", they say! I'll go take a pic. and post it!

Here we go:

I think I may see a problem--the netting to keep critters out, are keeping the toads out, as well ??
Do they actually go into the ponds? I thought that was what frogs do!

Could it be, that the strong water feature, the spout disturbing the water is also a problem--or
could it be that it's way too deep for them, if they need to go in for a swim??

I also have the clay pots, made into homes, as well, and obviously they have better taste than
my "Hotel Clay Pots"!!! Pietre, is that toad real???

I guess I'll just have to keep acquiring them, as I have and as has been suggested!

Again, thanks everyone--a very warm response by all! It's very appreciated!!!

JoshS · Post by **JoshS** » Jul 30, 2007 4:08 pm

The netting would be a problem...if they could get to it. The main problem is that the toads can't get to it...too high off the ground.

One of my ponds is nearly 4' deep, so depth is not an issue. The reason toads need a body of water is to reproduce. They lay their eggs in the water during spring and early summer. 1000's of tiny, black tadpoles hatch about a week after eggs are laid and about a month later itty bitty toads hop off into the garden!

Pieter · Post by **Pieter** » Jul 30, 2007 4:13 pm

my "Hotel Clay Pots"!!! Pietre, is that toad real???

No J., it's a ceramic one

Canine's real though.......

addieotto · Post by **addieotto** » Jul 30, 2007 9:11 pm

Hey Hey-J,

I am just seeing this post for the first time and I have to second everyone's comments about water. I built a pond and designed it specially to attract wildlife and this year's crop of thousands and thousands (at least it seems like it!!!) of toad - I think it was a success!

I decided to put the pond in after I had a tiny container that I filled with dirt and water to make a boggy spot. I pretty much ignored it for a season then realized my yard had LOADS OF TOADS. So the next year (last year) I built a pond. I read up on what makes a good wildlife pond and one of the important things was to have a sloping "beach" type of area so that wildlife can feel safe taking a dip. I have two "beaches" made out of rocks but any body of water could be made into a safe place for wildlife if you stack enough rocks around to make shallows. The next thing was plants both in and (importantly) around the pond for wildlife to hide in and lay eggs in. Moving water like fountains or splashy things should be minimized and if you build it... they will come!

After we attracted loads of toads back this year for mating season (the noise was deafening but it was fun) I learned something new about toads. I had been putting pots out for houses as others mentioned but didn't see any toads using them. While the standard american toad likes wooded areas and damp things, the toads attracted to our yard turned out to be Fowler's Toads who happen to enjoy dry sandy soil. We were able to identify them by their call which sounds like a baby screaming. We call them our screaming toads. They bury themselves in the sand and ignore my shady toad abodes in mulched, amended beds.

You can't walk through our yard without taking care about where you step. The baby toads are EVERYWHERE! We tiptoe around the yard and stay on the deck near the pond. There are still a few tadpoles in the pond yet to sprout legs but most seem to be gone. When I say thousands... seriously, I think it was thousands.

We have several cats and dogs but we've still got loads of toads. We don't have much of a slug problem. We are super careful about toxins but it's really hard not to use sprays for certain trees from $#@^ that won't die.

I don't have one from this summer but I put pix here last year and early this year: http://perennialnursery.com/forums/view ... hp?t=41896

Primroselane · Post by **Primroselane** » Jul 30, 2007 10:05 pm

Thanks this is a interesting post and
I too have so many toads and feel so lucky, I have sandy soil and lots of dry soil, what we do have is a pool and we find babies in the pool each morning and have to dip them out. we are sure they do not hatch in there with all the chlorine, and the filtered water, so do not know for sure where they hatch, but they are there most days.

Hey_J · Post by **Hey_J** » Jul 31, 2007 12:18 am

Oh, thank you, again everyone!

Josh, I had thought the height was an issue, as well!
I forgot to mention that part! So, I'm not surprised by your confirmation of it-- at all!

Sue--your pond is AWESOME, may I say!!! And, all the information you provided very helpful!
I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to have a pond like yours, but I think, with all the tree roots we have,
it may be very difficult and our yard slopes slightly toward the back!

I'm still thinking though--I wonder if there may be a way!

Lots to consider!

Thank you all, again! You're just great!!!

Linda P · Post by **Linda P** » Jul 31, 2007 8:57 am

Janice, Before I had the larger pond, I just dug a hole in the ground and put a small rubber stock watering tub into it. The toads were in it all the time. I sunk it slightly under the soil level, graded it and surrounded it with rocks. The first year I didn't realize that it was something like the Hotel California for toads. They could get in, but they couldn't get out. So, I put in a toad bridge, a big piece of bamboo that sticks down into the water and is supported by a rock on the edge. They can walk up the bridge and back on to dry land. Presumably, the little baby toads can do the same. My larger pond has two pools, and the tadpoles have appeared in the deeper one. The waterfall flows into the shallow one. The birds love to splash in the waterfall and the shallow pond, while the toads, frogs, and other assorted critters like the deeper one without the moving water.
Yesterday I was accompanied by a small toad while I was weeding. He jumped out from behind a weed, and then he just sat there and watched me until I walked away. The really great thing about having so many toads is that I seldom see any slugs or slug damage on my hostas. I know I shouldn't become complacent, but I really haven't even looked for any this year.
Linda P

Annie · Post by **Annie** » Jul 31, 2007 9:59 am

I don't get toads in my pond either, it's because it's a raised one. When I had it in the ground I had tons of the little buggers

yardmom · Post by **yardmom** » Jul 31, 2007 10:49 am

Janice, I had the same problem with roots. I had already bought the pond ( small, preformed, with a center area that is deeper) What I did is dug as far as I could (only the center part is in the ground) and then built up garden around the sides. You will notice a small part with a brick step..I don't know if it shows very well. This was so my dog was able to drink out of it without walking all over my mini hostas, and it gives me a place to kneel if I need to tend to it. It is actually raised about a foot above the ground. Good place for mini hostas and the frogs love it! I keep a few small goldfish as well, and they stay in the bottom all winter.