I have had no toads for 2 or 3 summers now. And very few, if any, worms. I have 2 toad houses, both of which used to have residents, but not anymore.

Your robins are probably eating grubs.

~~Becky

Do your neighbors treat their lawns? I have noticed that the back of our yard, that is surrounded by woods and a large creek, that we have not had any Peepers this spring. Maybe the chemicals have leached into the water table and that has killed off some of the amphibian life.

We still have plenty of worms no problem there.

I'll have to take a hike and check out the back to see if there are any slamamders, toads or frogs around.

Deb

I have lived here eight years. We had baby toads one year only. We think it is the chemicals from our neighbor's lawns, since we do not use any chemicals of our own and cannot understand why we never see toads. :(

We have a zillion birds, but surely they aren't eating every baby toad?

Linda,you could move here to western NC! I can't dig a hole for a plant without digging up earthworms. Seriously,probably something is getting into the soil that is toxic to earthworms. Of course you probably knew that,but actually,I don't have a clue,as my soil is probably totally different that yours. Phil

I can't think that anything any neighbor might use would get into my top of the hill gardens.
I am about ready to run around to friends' houses with my shovel and say..."scuse me....but do you mind if I dig a hole and look for worms?'
And there us a huge and very noticable shortage of Monarch butterflies...but I know what caused that....
About 5 years the Arboretum where I used to volunteer ( lazy me!) dug a water feature....a pond with pump to make a stream and water fall....out in what was a corn field.....about 1/4 mile from the nearest ditch with cat tails. And in about a week there was a resident bull frog....and very shortly there after a hoard of tadpoles.
So frogs and toads are out there....but not here!
I may have to get the big old galvanized tub out and find some polly-wogs.
Linda C

Sadly, some people with ponds deliberately remove toad eggs because they hate to hear their shrill calls when they are breeding....

Don't know about the worm problem. We had absolutely none here until I started my gardens. Huge amounts of compost and manure changed that.

Re: the toads...any chance your town sprays for
mosquitos? Or perhaps a neighbor had a landscape company spray for gypsy moths? That happened here, and almost all of my toads and tree frogs disappeared. Very few left, several years later.

~Bunnycat

That is so strange, Linda! Especially no earthworms!! We do have our lawn treated, with all dry applications and we have earthworms in the middle of it!
I am presently digging up more sod, for more planting areas and run into worms all the time, in fact will remove them rather than hack them to pieces if I
see one in time!

As far as those peeper frogs/rain frogs, buyorsell888, I've purposely created a small pond last year, and now this year another smaller to entice them
to come to my yard--I LOVE the sound of frogs and crickets!! Of course, if I had a million of them right under my window at night, I might change my mind
but if they were at a distance, say a 1/2 acre away--even better--just like my parents home in the N.C. mountains!!! I loved to lay awake and listen to them,
not long, though, they would chirp/sing me to sleep rather quickly!!

Linda, have you EVER had earth worms before?