Why and How to Get Frogs in Your Garden
Frogs: these beloved amphibians are certainly cute, and their nighttime singing can add ambiance to your outdoor environment. But charming looks and sweet voices aren’t the only things frogs have to offer. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at why you should actively work to attract frogs to your garden, plus we’ll discuss the easiest ways to get frogs and toads to set up housekeeping for good.
Why attract frogs and toads to your garden?
If you’re looking for a simple way to reduce pests, you’ll be thrilled with what these fascinating little creatures can do for your garden. Just one frog or toad can eat more than 100 insects in a single night. Whether your plants are being plagued by potato bugs, leafhoppers, squash bugs, or other pests, frogs and toads will happily feast on them. Not only will your garden’s amphibian guests consume adult insects, they’ll also eat juvenile pests including caterpillars and larvae. This reduces the likelihood of future infestation.
Most gardeners find themselves waging war on slugs and snails. Good news if you’re among them: frogs and toads love to eat these pests as well!
The Main Differences Between Frogs and Toads
Who’s visiting your garden? While frogs and toads share many similarities, there are some significant differences that make it easy to tell the difference between the two.
Frogs have smooth, moist skin, fairly slender bodies, and very long hind legs, usually with webbed feet. They don’t spend their entire lives in water, but they do spawn in ponds and streams. There’s more: Frogs hibernate in mud and silt, so it’s very important to have a suitable water source nearby if you want to attract frogs to your garden and convince them to stay. Most frogs will venture away from their watery habitats to feed. If you notice that your visitors are hopping long distances as they move from place to place, you’ve successfully attracted frogs to your garden!
Toads have dry, almost leathery looking skin with lots of bumps. Their bodies have a noticeably round profile, and they crawl, walk or take short hops rather than jumping long distances. A toad’s hind feet are equipped with long toes called digging spurs.
Like their water-loving cousins, most toads spawn in water and emerge from their eggs as tadpoles. Once they reach maturity, toads spend most of their lives on land. They burrow into dirt, emerging to feed and warm themselves. When mating season arrives, they return to their native ponds and the toad life cycle begins all over again. While frogs need a nearby pond or stream, toads often travel more than a mile to mate. Once the mating season ends, toads will usually return to their burrows and remain all year, digging below the frost line during winter and emerging when warmer weather returns.
How to Attract Toads and Frogs to Your Garden
Since frogs and toads are sensitive to synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, eliminating chemicals should be a priority. Be sure that areas between water sources and garden beds are chemical-free as well. If you’re hoping to attract frogs to your garden, don’t place certain plant species in areas they’ll inhabit. Rhubarb, honeysuckle, and daffodils are toxic to most frogs, so keep these separate from the rest of your plants.
There are about 6,000 species of frogs and toads worldwide. The following methods will work anywhere, but you might find it helpful to learn more about the amphibian species native to your area. If you take a little time to find out who’s likely to visit and then determine what that species typically prefers, you can optimize your garden’s features to attract even more frogs and toads.
1. Provide Water
All toads and frogs need water. Because they absorb moisture through their skin instead of drinking, they need shallow places to sit and rehydrate themselves. Simple terra-cotta saucers filled with fresh water are ideal for toads, and most frog species appreciate them as well. Be sure that your water is clean by rinsing and refreshing the saucers at least once a week, and be sure to place your in-garden water sources in shaded areas that will help your visitors feel safe and secure.
If you can build a small pond near your garden or even work it into your garden’s overall design, then you’ll find that you’re able to attract more frogs. Be sure to plant tall, broad-leaf plants around the edges of the pond so that frogs feel safer and have a bit more shelter from predators. Add a water lily or two, as these serve as natural shelter for frogs and tadpoles alike.
2. Add Simple Shelter
Toads and frogs don’t ask for much in terms of shelter. All they really need is a place to hide from predators and the heat of the midday sun. Large rocks with dugout areas underneath are ideal, and so are hollow logs. Place overturned terra-cotta pots in shady spots around your garden, preferably within a few short hops from a water source. Use sticks or rocks to prop up one edge. You can also purchase pre-made frog and toad houses, which are a touch more decorative than plain pots.
If you find a toad burrow, you can treat your pest-loving guest to a bit of extra protection by covering the area with a board but leaving the burrow’s opening undisturbed. Try not to dig too close to the burrow, but consider adding a potted plant or a raised garden bed nearby if it’s out in the open.
3. Do Not Disturb
Toads and frogs are very sensitive to motion. They prefer to inhabit peaceful places without a lot of activity. This doesn’t mean that you should avoid working in your garden; it simple means that you’ll attract more frogs and toads by placing their shelters in spots that are a little out of the way.
While it’s very tempting to look underneath shelters in hopes of getting a peek at your garden’s visitors, try to resist! If you disturb your guests, they might feel unwelcome – and if they leave, it might be some time before they feel safe enough to return.
4. Protect Toads and Frogs from Predators
Because toads and frogs are small and active, they tend to attract the attention of predators. Luckily, there are some fairly easy ways to treat your insect-eating guests to a little extra protection. It’s worth noting that toads are covered with toxins. They have an unpleasant taste, and most animals will leave them alone. Most frogs need extra protection, particularly if your garden is some distance from deep water.
:: Keep Dogs and Cats Out of the Garden
Dogs and cats join large wild birds in hunting for small creatures including toads and frogs. It’s a good idea to keep pets out of your garden, so consider building a fence with gaps large enough for your amphibian friends to slip through, but small enough to keep Fluffy and Fido out. You can go a step further and treat outdoor cats to a far-away patch of catnip. By diverting their attention this way, you’ll find it’s far easier to keep cats out of your garden and away from the frogs and toads you’ve invited to stay. Fences keep skunks out of the garden too, so put up a fence even if you’re confident that neighborhood pets aren’t likely to visit.
:: Discourage Predatory Birds
Natural predators can be a little harder to deal with. If you have hawks, herons, or ravens in your area, consider setting up a decoy bird to discourage hunting. Lifelike garden decoys such as owls and red tail hawks are helpful. If you have a pond or stream near your garden, adding a heron decoy can keep frogs and fish safe while adding more interest to your landscape.
Smaller birds like jays, crows, and ravens will gravitate toward easier food sources and away from your frogs if you encourage them to do so. These big birds love peanuts, corn, and sunflower seeds, so consider setting up a buffet for them and keeping it well-stocked. Be sure to put these birdfeeders as far from your garden as you can, and birds will be less likely to notice your amphibian friends.
:: Keep Raccoons Away
Because raccoons are voracious predators that love to eat frogs, it’s a good idea to deter them as well. If you have a small pond, you may want to try covering it with a piece of metal livestock fence or netting at night since raccoons easily climb fences. Choose a variety with holes that are large enough to allow frogs to come and go, but too small for raccoons to get through.
Besides keeping raccoons out of your pond, you may need to take a few extra steps to discourage them from visiting. Secure your garbage cans with bungee cords so that visiting bandits can’t get inside. Be sure to keep pet food out of reach, since it’s a favorite raccoon snack. If these strategies don’t work, you may need to hire an expert to humanely trap and remove the raccoons.
Attracting toads and frogs to the garden is simple once you know what these creatures need to thrive! Besides being one of the easiest methods for reducing dependence on insecticides, it’s also a very simple way to cut back on the amount of time you spend on natural pest control. Once toads and frogs are aware that your garden is a safe, comfortable place with plenty of food to eat, they’ll keep coming back for more.