Oh you'll know it if you have the tadpoles. I have 4 toads in my pond this year and they have already layed at least 5 batches of eggs in a 2 week period. They may quite the mess when the lay them I came home and say scum on the top layer of the pond, looked around and there they were more eggs. Here is a link that might be useful: My pond and the tads

Tom, the eastern spadefoot toad is not the same as the "regular" ol' toad, which is the Southern toad. Their calls are different, too. This link is great for seeing and listening to the calls. You can check them both out here. Marcia Here is a link that might be useful: Eastern Spadefoot Toad

BAD NEWS: The Giant Toad "...is probably the most widely introduced amphibian in the world. Agriculturalists released the Giant Toad (Bufo marinus) in attempts to control beetles that damage sugarcane, It readily adapts to backyard gardens and will accept food from fingertips. A milky secretion from the Giant Toad's parotoid glands is highly toxic; it will burn the eyes and may inflame the skin. A dog or cat that bites a Giant Toad will sicken and may die." The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles & Amphibians, page 393 GOOD NEWS: First of all, out of the 18 toad species that inhabit North America, only the Giant Toad is toxic to mammals. The other 17 species are completely harmless. Secondly, the range of the Giant Toad (Bufo marinus) is limited to the southern tip of Florida, extreme southern Texas, and Mexico. The two species that live in the mid-western States are the American Toad (Bufo americanus) and the Woodhouse's Toad (Bufo woodhousei), and they're beneficial to have around, particularly for gardeners. Thirdly, the Giant Toad is usually very easy to recognize due to its gigantic size. I lived in the Caribbean for two years and saw hundreds of them. I caught a granddaddy Giant Toad once and could hardly fit it into a wide mouth quart jar. You probably won't step on one without seeing it first. Hope this helps to ease your fears about toads. If you live in St. Louis, you should check with your agricultural agent, veterinarian or other knowledgeable authority to determine if Bufo marinus is inhabiting your area.

Yes, we do have toads in the garden - I've never come across baby ones, though. Last winter, I neglected to keep a hole in the ice over the little pond adjacent to our patio, which caused all of the larger mongrel goldfish to perish. I suspect that this provided the conditions for successful amphibian procreation. We did have a singing toad at that pond in spring, haven't noticed any since then.