Leslie, are you saying the neighbor was vacuuming up toads? What the....? Why?? I just don't understand some people. I can't fathom why they would be unhappy about having amphibians in their yards!

It reminds me of some people on the Ponds forum who complain because a heron visited and ate their fish. As has been said many times, if you build it, they will come. And they're ALL welcome at my pond!

I can't imagine being the sort of person who would complain about toads and swallows. I feel sorry that you have to live around those types of people, Leslie!

Brenda

I think these people don't understand why there are such huge numbers of toads, we're talking hundreds here, at each house. You can't walk through the flower beds or even the grass without them scattering. I know they don't like them I don't think they realize what they do for them. They look to be in their early 20's. Most of the folks in this subdivison are all young and first time home buyers, these toads are messing up something for them or in the way, especially the ones with toddlers, I imagine... They're so little and don't hop, they walk, I bet the little ones catch them and try to put them in their mouths or bring them in. I don't know. I don't talk to them. We're about the oldest people in the area, we don't have kids and don't hang out front in our garages like they all do.

Hey, I found out why my cats are waking me up in the middle of the night though. Even though I leave them food out at night. Apparently about at least 3 of these guys are hanging out on the back porch and the cats are scared of them, LOL* Some of these guys are eating enough bugs to grow big! I went out to look and found this one and two others out there. I moved a bag of soil yesterday afternoon and found them hiding under it, so they like that porch.
{{gwi:496014}}
Last night I put their food up on the patio table and the cats let me sleep all night:)

Oh, my goodness! Isn't that little guy cute! I think it's so funny that kitties would be scared of them, but I guess if I found something so chunky in MY food, I'd be freaked out, too. LOL

I love that pic, Leslie! I'm saving it to show my friends and family. :)

Brenda

These guys were doing a meet and confer on breakfast Sunday early morning:) I was taking pics of the roses. I spent 10 minutes watching them. First it was the larger one, he's about 2" big, then the 2nd one joined him. If you look closely there's a 3rd itty bitty one in the center top of the photo, look for the eyes. He wanted to join them and started walking up to them and they told him to take off and he veered off a few inches from them and went off to a calla lilly:) The flies kept lighting on the big one and I was trying to get a pic of that. The flies were too fast and so was the toad, LOL* I did have some cheap entertainment watching them. They're pretty good at this. However, I did find a rose slug up in a very thorny climber still.

All around me was I was still the toads were out eating bugs, good toads!
{{gwi:496015}}

I LOVE your toad pics, Leslie! They are the cutest little things! I was "awww-ing" while reading about the tiny one being turned away from the meeting, too. LOL

The frogs here keep getting into my watering can outside the front door. Every morning, they squeeeeze back out of the can spout as I'm watering pots. They also like to hide in the stacks (and stacks and stacks....) of old nursery pots I have on the porch. Whenever I interrupt one from a nap (or whatever!), I always apologize. LOL The neighbors must think I talk to myself.

I have to return most of those pots to the nursery this weekend. But I think I'll make sure to keep the frogs. :)

Brenda

That's what I made them homes out of, all the pots I could find. Clay and plastic, I spread then all over the back yard to give them someplace out of the sun to hide during the day and shade from the full sun. There are so many of them I don't have enough mature plants and shrubs for them. Their favorite places are under bricks and pots. I lift my decorative rocks I put out there and usually find one snugged under there. The mulch is pretty loose and easy for them to apparently wiggle down in. The rocks vary from about 4" to 9". Heck there's a bunch of them hiding in the tall thick fescue grass. When I walk across it they go swimming for cover! They hang up on top of the grass still, they're so little most of them. Some of them are getting pretty fat like this one in that pic though:)
Shhh, I apologise too every time I have to go water the bedding plants every day to keep them growing in the heat and out they all run from the water from under the plants and the pots. LOL*
That little guy at the top was only 1/2" big.

That's pretty funny them squeezing out of your watering can!
You know what though I don't have any regular slugs or snails, so maybe they do eat them. I did find another rose slug, wish they'd get busier eating them on the minis. Maybe the smaller minis don't hold their weight.

I just found a very small toad nestled in one of my roses, at some distance from the ground. I saw a Japanese beatle the other day, so I hope it will take care of that pest.