That bottom picture is too cute (but your poor seedling)! I love toads :)

My husband loves toads! I showed him the pictures as he was going to the garage to fix cars. He smiled and said, "that's what we have around here, toads." Woo hoo! I did spot one this past week (in our perennial lamium circle near two old rotting tree stumps with mushrooms growing outta them. When I saw the infrequently seen harmless visitor, I quickly put back the decorative garden stone which I moved. Hope he'll stick around and I'll be sure to work on some toad habitat for him in the perennial area. Now, to add some plastic cups and seedling projects on my list - or one of those cute little toadhouses. [wink]

Pictures are darling, thanks for sharing.

I love toads too, and like you I have found that they like plastic cups, flower pots, or any cool moist space. Can you find the toad in this picture? They're not picky either :-)

{{gwi:533485}}

Awwwwww... I luvem all, those widdle toads.
uh oh-babytalk attack -got to (argh) snap out of
it!!!!!!
Right now the tiny little toadlings the size of your pinkie nail are making their appearance at our place. You can easily mistake them for bugs in the grass, they are that small. It's a wonder any of them survive--and many don't. All you can do is provide as much cover and good food-providing habitat you can.

Dirtgirl,

I saw one 2 weeks ago!! It was a toad of some sort (I was told by a herpeologist) and it was a big as my fingernail!! It had red on its back too.

Love 'em.

So, just what seeds did you plant, to sprout such lovely toads? ;-)

Thanks to everybody for sharing their lovely pics.

ooh ooh, i've got one too!
but i still can't figure out *how* the little feller hopped up onto the porch, that's a pretty steep jump.

These pictures are all so wonderful. The presence of toads is such a good sign that one's garden is in "balance". They really do love flower pots. Apparently they enjoy the cool moist soil - and I'm sure that while they are gracing our plantings they are keeping down the slugs and bugs.

Any more toad-in-pots pix?

Helen

OK, here's a confession.. every night in the summertime, i love to play "find the toad". i go out there with my flashlight and search for them. last night i noticed that after 4 days my resident toad (in the photo above) moved on, and i searched til i found it... it was around the corner (off the porch) in a deep crack between the dry, rock-hard parched earth that is our soil, and the cement foundation of the house. i had to really peer down in there, but i saw its little bug eyes peeking out. it was amazing! and then i went to look for the other one that had been hanging around in my veg. garden, and found it- every time it's in a different spot, looking fatter and fatter. but every time i always find it. i think i might be the toad whisperer.

Oh, we are so eccentric and normal at the same time. I just read rembetika's last message out loud to my daughter, and she thought we are all nuts. Of course, she spends her time chatting about music and pop culture. We have our own passions.

I haven't seen any toads at all this year. I'll go out tonight and search. A couple years ago I rescued a bucketfull of toads from a friend's swimming pool, early in the spring, before the chlorine was added. I brought them home to my wetland home and turned them loose in the forest. I had many big and little toad friends that year.

Any suggestions from anyone as to how to encourage and entice toads in our gardens.

Helen

well, one obvious thing that most of us already know-- when you don't spray poison in your garden to kill all the bugs, and your soil is healthy, then the toads will come- because (duh) they like bugs.

i have also noticed that they LOVE to hide in loose leaves during the day, so i try to use some as mulch at least somewhere in the garden... and since i don't step on my garden bed anyway, then they're safe.
they also hang out under leaves near our AC unit, near where it drains water.
you can also put a clay pot upside down (with a piece missing for a "door")-- they supposedly like to hang out in those, although i haven't seen any in there yet.

oh and by the way, please tell your daughter... doing little things like this can help save our environment, hence, the planet that we live on--- j-lo and britney what's-her-face can't do that..... no one will give a hoot about them in a few years,, but people will still care about toads (that is, if there are any left!)

I've been off-line for a few weeks and just came back to see all these wonderful toad pix. Cumnock, I love your hidden one. I don't know any secrets to entice them except to provide water and don't use pesticides. They just come in their own magical time.

Wishing everyone lots of toads!

abloom

I just saw this thread and it was enough to bring me out of hiding...the toad pics are terrific! I thought I was the only one crazy enough to be excited over having toads living on my patio and in my pots, but I see I'm not alone!

I live in an apartment, so have limited gardening space. I have a small area out front where I can grow things in the ground, but out back I'm limited to container gardening in the recessed patio. Last summer, I noticed my cats were absolutely frantic to get at something through the sliding glass door so I walked over, flipped on the outside light, and there sitting right at the door staring in at me was the cutest lil toad. He hung around for quite awhile and my kids and I really enjoyed watching for him until he eventually disappeared.

About three weeks ago, I was messing with one of the small pots of coleus when something moved in the pot...I screamed, it jumped, then I jumped...not sure who scared who more...it ended up being a new toad! He's a fine, fat fellow that we have named Thelonius Monk (LOL) and he's been a real character to have around. I think maybe I should have named him (her?) Goldilocks because he's tried out all three pots of coleus. Made little burrows in each pot. I have a lot of scented geraniums in pots out there too, but he seems to prefer the coleus. I gently sprinkle him daily with my watering can and he seems to enjoy it.

I'd have never thought it would be possible to have a wildlife garden in an apartment and with such limited growing space. Compared to the visitors folks with land get, it probably seems like really small potatoes, but it really makes me appreciate my toad and the hummers, etc that I do get. Anyway, please excuse my newbie rambling and thanks for sharing your photos...they made me smile! :)

This is the best thread. Toad-lovers unite! Given that I haven't see ONE this year, I think I shall build a toad sanctuary. It is so hot and dry around here, they must be suffering. They do love the moist soil and dark caches. I'll let you all know what I devise. I'll build toad caves. Hope it's not too late.

Cumnock (aka Helen)

Helen, I've read that you can make toad houses out of flowerpots tipped sideways and half buried. (I guess we already know they like flowerpots.) You could set a few of them in the ground and then add a nearby saucer of water set into the ground a little bit. I think I'll try that too. I wonder what kind of plants they would like for shade and shelter?

abloom

Tomorrow is Friday, which means that finally I can find some time to look after the garden and creatures around me. We were blessed with a wonderful deluge of rain today, finally, after weeks of drought and intense heat. This should be a good time to build toad caves. If the toads don't come, then someone else will perhaps. I'll continue to fill the birdbath, and the basin of water I put outside last night, if it should become low. I put it out, thinking of thirsty wildlife, and this morning was greeted by a mother wild turkey and her seven babies hanging around the water basin just outside my front door! More on this on the bird forum. :-)

The rain was wonderful, and I'm sure all the toads in the neighbourhood loved it. I certainly did.

Helen

I think what amazes me most about toads is that....no , wait, there are several things about these sweet little phibs that I really love:
their ability to cram things four times the size of their mouths into their faces and not choke to death. (Kinda like me and a pint of Chubby Hubby)
the way they actively hunt down and corner anything they perceive as edible. I have seen toads climb stairs that I would have sworn were too high for them because they could occasionally see beetles flopping around up there. Tree frogs are the same way...they know what they want and they are willing to go the extra mile to get it, even if it means scuttling crab-like arcross a window screen.
Toads have an amazing memory. They definitely have a favorite place to hole up during the day, and if you move them they will return. I had a particular male who was bigger than the other fellows and had a conspicuous rusty-colored back. He had a preferred spot under one of the disc blades that I have set into the ground in my front yard as a walkway. (if you have farmer neighbors, GET YOURSELF SOME. Toads LOVE them.) I found that I could take this fellow and set him down clear around the house or even across the yard by the garage and he would be right back under that blade the next day. Unfortunately, I also have a few that insist on occupying crawdad holes near the road as well, and they often wind up right in harm's way when the sun goes down. I have relocated them a time or two as well but only a few stay away from their dangerous hangouts.

Toads will get so used to you that they will readily take food from your hand if you are careful not to move to quickly.

Don't know why toads have gotten a bad rap in fairy tales and elsewhere as ugly or warty; they are in fact quite endearing and cute. An interesting thing is that we've put out clay pots turned sideways for the toads to use as shelters, but they seem to prefer anywhere but in these pots--they're in mulch, under plants, under a trash bag left lying on a gravel driveway...

Chris

My toad recipe:

Buy Camellia shrub.

Plant camellia shrub in nook formed by corner of front porch and house, near hose for watering ease, near porch for enjoyment ease.

About a year after planting said shrub, acquire large yellow female dog. It is not known if size, color or gender of dog are factors in toad attraction, however this one is large (107 pounds) and yellow, and female. This one is a lab cross of some sort, but as she was acquired by responding to a plea from a friend working on a construction site where she and a companion had been "living free" for two months (companion wandered into road, rip buddy, sorry your previous owners didn't do better for you), her precise heritage is unknown. Judging from said companion, now located under backyard next to elderly cat, there is some mastiff in there too.

Locate outside water dish (dented stainless steel mixing bowl from kitchen) under outside tap, again for ease of watering. (Are you sensing a theme too?)

When the local climate becomes hotter than said large yellow dog would like, make arrangements for dog to be outside for extended periods and look the other way while dog burrows under the camellia shrub to excavate a nice shallow trough large enough to accommodate dog's ample butt. (Those construction workers must pack some awesomely fattening lunches.)

Decide that you don't really want the dog to excavate under the camellia bush, and rake some leaves under there. When this does not deter her (Her precise words were OOOOO Cushy!) allow small children to "fill" water bowl, look other way when it overflows and begins to fill wide shallow butt depression, flooding dog out. After all, the camellia bush needs water too, right? Note that dog is a wuss when it comes to water, and rake more leaves and lots of sticks under shrub. Really mound them high to remove cushy factor and encourage slime factor. Watch dog give you sad, sad looks while forlornly shoving her way under tall, pointy evergreen looking thing that the previous owner swore was a cedar and randomly stuck in the yard after accepting bid on house. Happily allow dog to set up new digs under the too-rapidly-growing-to-be-a-cedar cedar because mowing under it is impossible and you're tired of cutting each blade of grass by hand. Dog had grass rooted out in two weeks, max. Cedarish thing doesn't appear to care.

Wait a year or so until some of the leaves have broken down under the camellia bush, stick your hand under there to retrieve the sprinkler the teen aged son decided belonged under the bush instead of in the shed, and get startled into screeching when all the hoppers go jumping away.

Voila! Toads!

They've tried to lay eggs in the water dish so I'm looking into acquiring a small pond or water feature sometime next year, which is how I found this thread, and I thought I'd share my toad recipe.

Melissa-just because you don't have a yard doesn't mean you appreciate your "guys" any less.

I live in the woods and have many toads (which draw snakes). For several years I swear the same toad showed up by my front porch steps for the bug bonanza drawn by the landscape lights. Named him Granddaddy and yes, I talked to him all the time, most likely, in baby talk. Thought I was alone (or crazy). Been known to go home with toads in my pockets, rescued from a field about to be sprayed or a lawn about to be chemed. They love the moisture under a rotting log more than any of the toadhouses I have. LOL

FYI, I don't know if it is actually true but toads start breeding when temperatures are above 54-58 F for two days in a row. If you want to put out water for them to have tadpoles the pond?? should be put out now.

when i was younger, i acquired terrarium (sp) and filled it with dirt. i took little 'carpets' of moss and planted them in the dirt. i also had a small log type hiding area from having other frogs (from petco) as pets. i placed that inside, along with a fake plant from petco and some of that 'drift wood.' i also had a heat lamp left over from when i had leopard geckos, and i hooked that up. that summer i caught 7 toads of various sizes, named them all (i was quite fond of the name Bob) and placed them inside. it was not long before they associated the opening of the terrarium with live crickets and whenever i walked by, they would look up as if waiting for it to start raining crickets! i even had one about the size of a thumb nail, who preferred to hunt out organisms located in the moss. they were also very well acquainted with the spray bottle that would bring 'rain.'

i had the intentions of keeping them, but my parents told me (as they should have) that i had to let them go. i did, however hard for me it was, and i'm sure now we have great great great grandchildren of these toads hopping around! :)

How nice to see this thread back in time for spring!

I was digging a new garden today, and when I turned over one spade of dirt, there was a limp, gray toad, belly up. He wasn't dead, though -- just rudely awakened. He slowly pulled himself together, and when I put him back in the dirt in a safer place, he started squirming his way back into the ground. When I went back later, he was gone, I presume back underground to finish his long nap. I hope to see him back around the garden before long.

abloom

Aninocentangle, I love your toad recipe. Funny!

Thanks. Min