TOADS: BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

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By Bobbie Herbs

Fascinated by those adorable Toad Houses online and in catalogs? I certainly was and decided to see what it took to attract toads to my garden. Butterflies, birds, and pollinators already make my garden home, but because toads are carnivores and can eat 50-100 insects in a night, I wanted to add another beneficial to my landscape. 

Toads are frogs, but all frogs are not toads. The big difference between the two are that toads live a good portion of their life on land and in trees. Toads have shorter hind legs for walking and jumping. They don’t leap like frogs do.  Lastly, they have bumps on their head called paratoids, which won’t give you warts. The paratoids do defend the toad against predators by triggering toxic chemicals, but they won’t hurt humans unless ingested.

Female toads lay thousands of eggs in small ponds and vernal pools, as water is required for reproduction. Frogs and toads mature through the process of metamorphosis. Eggs turn to tadpoles, tadpoles swim, slowly growing legs and maturing into a small adult. In the last stage, the toad emerges from the pool to live on dry ground. The speed of metamorphosis varies due to environmental factors that are ‘programmed’ into their life cycle like the triggers of migrating birds and butterflies.

Toads are nocturnal and emerge at dusk in time to feed on mosquitoes, insect larvae, caterpillars, spiders, and slugs. A toad can eat 10,000 to 20,000 insects throughout a gardening season!
To attract toads, choose a shady, humid environment. Protect the toad shelter from the wind and dig a depression in the soil where the toads can bury themselves to escape harsh weather conditions.  Make sure there is a door for easy in and out.  A birdbath laid on the ground gives toads a spot to soak. Consider hanging a light to attract insects, and please avoid pesticide use in your garden.  Toads can absorb these materials through their skin, and may have harmful effects on their health.

Burlington County has two toads common to the area, the Fowler’s Toad and the Eastern Spadefoot. Spadefoots are about 2 inches long, whereas the Fowler’s toad can grow to be about 3 inches. Both prefer sandy, loose soil habitats and are active April through September.

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