Funny, Leaper. I feel your pain/joy - not sure what to feel. I got my pond all cleaned out a couple of weeks ago, with a new pump and everything. Boy, they wasted no time. But I guess I'm still confused about the difference between frogs and toads. Which is which? I had two very happy pair singing their hearts out day and night the whole weekend. Now my briefly clear pond is nearly black with a tadpole explosion. It's a little frightening to look at. Ah, life.

Okprairie,
I think toads are basically land creatures except when mating, dry, bumpy skin, no webs. I had never known them to be noisy until last night. Frogs are primarily water, smooth, moist and always noisy. At least that's what I always thought.
I'm hoping the koi eat most of the eggs. They are sure after them.
Good luck with your tadpoles. I know what you mean about scary. I've never seen so many toads in one place in my life. There is still a pair of them in the pond this morning amidst tipped over plants. Must have truly been Mr. Toads Wild Ride by the look of my plants :)
Leap

What a great mental picture! :-)

~Heidi

It was interesting to say the least. I learn something everyday. :)

Leaper,

Your toad tales are hilarious.

When we first moved to rural southern Oklahoma from Fort Worth, Texas, we liked to sleep with our windows open in the spring. Boy, that was a mistake! Between the "singing" of the toad and frog chorus, we couldn't get any sleep at all! I love to hear them croaking, but not ALL of them ALL night long. Now, we mostly sleep with the windows closed, but do hear them when we are outside.

My lily pond near the house has a nice "collection" of bullfrogs, so we have some LOUD croaking going on too.

And we have those tree frogs or whatever they are that make a sound that is like a lady screaming some distance away. The first year it was really disconcerting. I would hear it and say to my DH "Is that a lady screaming somewhere?" We finally got used to the 'noise'. Well, guess I'd rather have the sounds of nature than the sounds of traffic, any way!

You know how it is....if you built a pond, they will come. And keep on coming. Forever. Enjoy it. :)

Dawn

Leaper - I think your 'screaming' toads are the Foster's. Wild, aren't they? We've had them for a couple of years, and id'd them via a website with frog & toad songs. Our pond is just about 20 feet from our bedroom window, and the spring nights are full of toad & frog singing. So far, the only frog we have is the so. leopard. 'Our' mockingbird has been making bullfrog noises lately, so they must be around somewhere fairly close. Hope they stay away from our pond!
Carol

Dawn,
I think you're right. Nature sounds are much better than traffic. I'm just not sure my neighbors will think so. I was thinking of what I would tell the police officer coming to investigate the noise complaint. "Honest officer, it's toads..it's springtime and .." I'm sure they would be toadally silent and hunkered down in the water and I would look like a fool as I'm hauled off to jail :)

Carol,
Thanks for the ID :). I'm with you, if bullfrogs are louder than these toads, I'm in serious trouble LOL. How cool the mockingbird is imitating them. Ours mocks the cardinals. I find it interesting at how quickly the eggs are developing.
Leap

Leaper,
Just send us the word and we will come hopping right up there to bail you out if they carry you away. And, believe me, when the bullfrogs start up, they will amaze you with both how DEEP and masculine they sound, and how very loud! It's like having a barbershop quartet, but without the barbershop.

Carol,
Your mockingbird is too smart! Mine also imitates the cardinals, like Leaper's, and also the Purple Martins.

Dawn

Ohhhm, the lovely frogs and toads. So much fun to reach into a clump of weeds and get a soppy handfull of foam. So far this spring we have not gotten enough rain for the vernal pond to arrive so no collection of wet shiny critters singing. At least 10,000 different voices out there. No open windows here even when it warms back up, late frost Saturday night. And I have one mocking bird in the back yard, the other one in the front, stereo songs. Along with the traffic, I live 1/2 block from Highway 77. So a very unique concert at night. rofl Before I forget, peacocks two blocks north.

Broken_lady,
Peacocks???? ..Oh, I remember how they sound, even two blocks away they would be terribly loud. You do have an interesting sound scape :) I can send you some toad babies. I noticed the eggs are now wigglers. Man, that was FAST ..either that or the pair that was there originally were busy before everyone else arrived at the party.
Dawn,
I may need to take you up on the offer to hop up here with bail :) It's been too cool for them lately but I expect they will be back in full song before very long.
I noticed that the pond place on Shields in OKC..can't remember the name offhand, had BIG old tadpoles for $3 each and mystery snails for $5 each..huge things..I bet they are bullfrog tadpoles and I just kept right on walking LOL!

Broken Lady,

We used to have peacocks about a mile up the road from us...but they didn't make it through their first summer. I am assuming the coyotes or panthers or cougars got them. I did love seeing them roam the neighborhood, but they are so obnoxiously loud!

Leaper,

When we lived in a civilized neighborhood in Fort Worth, where everyone had lovely yards and no ponds (this was in the early 1980s) I actually built a small pond and then mail-ordered some of those bullfrog tadpoles from a pond company. When I opened the package, the tadpoles were so large I thought they'd sent me fish by mistake! Of course they grew into lovely bullfrogs with lovely voices and we enjoyed their singing so much. And, I don't think the frogs bothered anyone because everyone stayed inside with the air conditioners running all the time and probably never even heard the frogs! lol

I love the frogs, but they have been quieter than usual this spring undoubtedly because we have been so dry. So, if a little more rain will fall, maybe we'll have a little more frog and toad singing around here! As loud as they are, I miss them when they are abnormally quiet! I know they are here, because I hear them and see them every now and then, but not as much as usual.

Dawn

Dawn,
I think I'm the only person in the neighborhood with a pond. Maybe that's why all the toads migrated. The wigglers are so cute. I really like having toads in the yard. They are great bug eaters.
Leap

Leaper,

Our pond is one of only a few "decorative" ponds in our area, and is a big attraction for frogs and toads. Of course, we have lots of "stock tanks" on all the farms around us.

The frogs and toads ARE great bug eaters. We have some big green frogs that float just below the surfact of the water, waiting for those bugs to come close. A six-year-old friend who visits often in the summer loves to sit and watch the pond, hoping to see a frog snag a bug.

Much better entertainment for a six year old than video games!

Dawn

I don't have a pond but have toads in my flower beds AND in the pots I grow my mini-roses in. I think that's why I lost so many of my roses last year. Besides keeping rocks around the plants, does anyone know how to keep them out?
I never seem to be prepared when they jump out of the pots at me!
Herbzgirl

Herbzgirl,
I've never thought about keeping them out of things since they are such great bug eaters. But for the pots, how about elevating them above hopping level. That should solve that problem. As for the gardens, I have been doing a quick search with a long handled weeder around my plants. I'm looking to motivate snakes to slither on instead of toads though.
Good luck,
Leaper

Has anyone but me ever gone toad gigging? Frog leggs are tasty, just in case you feel too overun.
(0:

Ugh, what a nasty thought. I'll never be that hungry to skewer a frog or toad and knaw on their skinny little legs..

OKC1,

When my son was quite a bit younger--maybe 12 or 13--he ate froglegs while camping at the ranch of a family friend. He loved them! (This was a kid whose idea of a meal was either pizza or hamburgers.) Every now and then he'll see frog legs on a menu somewhere and mention how good they were. I think he does it just to see my turn green at the thought of eating any part of a frog! I've never had them and never will! And, if you ask him what they taste like, his answer is "Chicken!" Think I'll just stick to eating chicken!

By the way, since our spring drought is drying up all the ponds, my frogs just aren't singing as much this year. Or, there aren't as many of them. I miss the non-stop frog opera. I still hear a few, but not as many as I normally do.

Dawn