Create a Haven For Toads In Your Garden
March 17, 2008 by Linette Gerlach
Filed under Naturalizing, Ponds
Toads are hopping bug zappers. They love to eat the bugs in your garden, from Japanese beetles, to earwigs. To encourage toads to live in your garden, bury a large flower pot saucer (the bottom part of the flower pot that catches the water). Place rocks in the saucer and keep it full of water especially on hot dry summer days.
You should also provide a toad house, or some broken clay flower pots for the toads to hide under. Toads love to dig down in the shade into loose mulch, or rich organic soil. They look for moist cool spots to spend their days.
If you want to attract toads to your garden you should set up a safe environment, free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. A water feature, or small pond in your garden may even encourage your toad population to grow by providing a place for tadpoles to hatch.
I used to always scream when I found a toad in my garden. I don’t know why it scared me so much. I guess I think they are snakes for a minute.
So, is there a way to discourage snakes in your garden? : )
Yes!!! Toads are the best! They’re smarter than you’d think, too. It’s always a great moment when I see one in the yard. (Of course, I actually enjoy seeing garter snakes, too, as long as I see them before putting a hand or foot in their vicinity…)
I’m glad you are not based in Northern Australia, we have a plague of Cane Toads up here and they are poisonous. They are killing our predatory native wildlife and they have no natural predators.
I’m glad you like the toads in your garden, but I jump on mine or get them with the garden fork to save my dogs from getting poisoned.
I live in an area with A LOT of mosquitos. Our area also has regular (albeit limited) incidences of West Nile Virus. So while toads would be great for eating some of the mosquitos, putting out saucers of water is contrary to the advice from our county government.
Todd,
Actually the saucers would probably have to be filled every day or so, and really don’t hold enough water (for a long enough period of time) to harbor mosquitos. Unless you find a really large saucer:)
I have a small pond (the size of a large plate) in my garden its full of water plants but is still some space for toads and other anthibians. Could toads get stuck in the pondlife or is it a good thing to keep the water airated. Also, theres tons of plante and foliage sorounding the pond. This atracts bees, wasps, flies, ants, snails, slugs, and we have to keep the ground moist for them to. So I think i would recomend to have the area surrounded in plants unless somebody can give me a reason why not. One more thing, what exactly do they eat and do they eat flying insects?
What else can I do to attract toads?
I have an abundance of toads in my yard this year (2009) and realize maybe thats why my hosta garden has no problems with slugs.
We have a gas grill on the back deck. Next to the grilling part there is a flat surface where the dials are. A cloth cover fits over the whole unit. Apparently a toad has found this an ideal home, because we always find it on the flat surface, cozy under the cover.