OMG

[roxann57]

I have a little puddle in the garden which needed sorting out so after being at the lottie all morning and while I was covered in mud I thought it would be a good time. The water level has always been a bit off so I decided to empty out the solid plastic shell and start again. After getting all but a few inches of water out and groping around in the bottom to retrieve the pebbles that had fallen in - something moved. At the bottom of my puddle were 6 or 7 toads and I counted at least 4 frogs. OMG I'd had my hands right in there with them all (I'll be having nightmares). I'm so glad OH was home to come and get them out. Puddle refilled, plants back in, in double quick time. The cheeky toads were straight back in, mating and croaking in no time - reckon I must have woken them all up

[Plocket]

WOW!!! You are SOOOOOO lucky! Forget about sharing the water with them for a while, just think of all the slugs they will eat!

[roxann57]

Didn't feel very lucky at the time I can tell you Plocket, I've had to put chicken wire over the top as the cats are showing an unhealthy interest. And as for splitting the plants - well that can wait until another time

[Plocket]

Hehehe! I hope you are feeling a bit calmer now. You really are very lucky to have frogs and toads you know - I'm trying to be positive for you ;D

[oldmoleskins]

toads are such wonderful, mysterious things... used to have one in the big greenhouse at Another Place, hope there's some here, but never seen one - that's one very lovely puddle you've got there Roxann...

OM.

[roxann57]

Heres hoping that they eat lots and lots of slugs. OH tells me that apart from the size and colour, you can tell the difference between toads and frogs by the skin - toads are sticky - as if I really wanted to touch one in the first place. OH then wanted to know if I had seen any newts The puddle was his idea in the first place, so I think its best if he's in charge from now on. I am surprised that a tiny amount of water could support so many of them.

I really did have a hell of a shock - nothing that a glass of red won't cure though

[madonplants]

roxann57 said:

Heres hoping that they eat lots and lots of slugs. OH tells me that apart from the size and colour, you can tell the difference between toads and frogs by the skin - toads are sticky - as if I really wanted to touch one in the first place. OH then wanted to know if I had seen any newts The puddle was his idea in the first place, so I think its best if he's in charge from now on. I am surprised that a tiny amount of water could support so many of them.

I really did have a hell of a shock - nothing that a glass of red won't cure though

Or two!!
Frogs have a smooth skin and hop, while toads have a warty skin and tend to crawl.
I remember a few weeks after I built my very first wildlife pond, I found 5 frogs and one huge toad. I am sure the toad was an alien (from outside UK) but they did sort out the slugs in our garden. Try and get used to them, they really are the gardener's friend!!

Keith

[roxann57]

The toads were definitely "warty" and crawled My son thought it would be a good idea last year to bring some "frogspawn" home last year. Now I know that they are there, I'm very pleased - just won't be putting bare hands in the water again.

[lottielady]

Roxann Just beware when you are watering your garden with shorts on in case they jump up and slap you on your bare legs. It's happend to me quite a few times and my screams have amused the neighbours no end!

LLx

[roxann57]

OMG all over again, I can see I'm in for fun this summer - I am so easy to make jump. Last year I kept finding baby frogs in amongst my plants and that was fine, but toads jumping up my legs is another matter entirely

[Deleted]

I know I'm getting boring repeating the same thing but you are so LUCKY to have them adopt you so easily. With just a few inches of water, can't be bad! ;D ;D

[lottielady]

roxann57 said:

OMG all over again, I can see I'm in for fun this summer - I am so easy to make jump. Last year I kept finding baby frogs in amongst my plants and that was fine, but toads jumping up my legs is another matter entirely

Well it will more than likely to be the frogs! A nice cold wet slap it is too eeek!

LLx

[roxann57]

Yuk, bare feet might be out this year

[Chuckles]

This thread reminded me of several years ago when I decided to empty my pond. The reason was because one fish had appeared to go missing. I emptied the pond water and 3 other fish into a spare tank affair that I had. At the bottom I found my 4th fish barely alive, it did die in the end Anyway I decided to clear the pond out completely while I was at it and remove all the silt from the bottom. I bucketed it onto part of the garden and was horrified to see the silt was alive with frogs, and as quickly as I emptied them out of the bucket they made thier way back to the empty pond

[roxann57]

And did they multiply in large numbers Chuckles?

[Chuckles]

They did roxann ;D until I had a grass snake move in for a while no more frogs

[roxann57]

This is "Toad Puddle", I am amazed that it supports so much wild life. I wonder, if, when I get around to planting my half barrel I will be finding toads in there too