How and Why To Encourage Frogs & Toads in Your Garden

Toad pond

Frogs

and toads are, perhaps, not the first creatures you think of when you think of encouraging wildlife in the garden, they can be a valuable asset to the organic gardener. Frogs and toads will help to keep pests at bay without the need for any polluting pesticides. Predatory creatures such as these can help keep the numbers of pests at a manageable level. Frogs and toads are both amphibians and yet each requires different living conditions to be at home in your garden.



Encouraging Frogs:


FrogOf course the number one thing to do to attract frogs to your garden is to create a wildlife pond. Frogs need to live in moist conditions and must be near a pond or other water where they can breed, though they do come away from the water's edge frequently to forage and feed.


Frog in springIt is important not to use any non-natural chemicals in or near your pond and to use native aquatic and marginal plants. It is also important, when building your pond, to make sure that it is frog friendly. Edges of the pond should be shallow and gently sloped so the frogs can come and go with ease. There should also be at least one edge with moist, leafy vegetation and organic mulches to give frogs plenty of places to hibernate and to escape from the heat of the sun. Your pond should be at the very least 2-3 feet in depth in the middle in order to attract frogs.


Encouraging Toads:


Common ToadToads are also amphibians and will also require water to breed, though they will only need a much shallower body of water and will need it only during breeding season. More important to attract toads is creating moist places for them to rest, hide and hibernate. Logs, mulches, and rocks will all help to create shady, moist patches that can be perfect toad habitat.


ToadYou can also create a toad shelter by digging a hole in a damp, shaded corner of your garden, putting some damp leaf mould/ well-rotted leaves in the bottom and covering it with a plant pot with a hole in the bottom. You can then pour in a little water in hot, dry weather to keep the space moist. This will make a good spot for any toads in the vicinity.


Always be careful and look out for amphibians when mowing, especially close to ponds.


Remember, encouraging frogs and toads can help to keep balance in the garden ecosystem. But do not imbalance another ecosystem by taking any creatures from elsewhere – simply provide the environment and more often than not, they will come.