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| I was looking out the window this morning and saw the mum plant was moving. Looked closer and realized that there were at least 3 toads in the plant, LOL* Sure wish they'd climb up in the hydrangeas and eat whatever is eating them up. I pulled a rose slug off one of the new roses the other day. That's supposed to be one of their favorites too. I don't think I have as many toads in the front as in the back yard though. I need to increase the housing in the front yard, clay pots:) I filled their swimming pools up though. I keep catching them in the backyard ones. Only thing is the cats think those are special water dishes for them! Crazy cats, I'm using the trays for platers as water holes for them.
I watched the neighbor vacuming them up last weekend though, so some of them may be trying to poison them and this may be why there aren't as many in front as I have in the back yard either. Her husband got out a huge Round-up and spray every inch of their flower beds while she did that. Course first they took out every plant they had and threw them all away first. Then stuck three planters that looked like Agapanthus in one bed and walked away. They threw away dwarf versions though. I don't think they realize how many bugs and mosquitos the toads catch and kill. They held a meeting in the subdivision wanting the owner to do something about the numbers, that and the numbers of swallows. Also they're unhappy about the ponding basin behind our house, said they didn't know it was going to be there. Hello...it was on the map when they picked out their house and discussed. A lot of these people are young and first time home owners and have no idea about nature and what it does for them. Personally I like the toads and the birds. I have a lot fewer problems with pests since they showed up. White flies were terrible until the birds and toads made an appearance. They're all gone now. They were last summer too, most of these people didn't live here then to know that, their houses weren't built yet. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Leslie, are you saying the neighbor was vacuuming up toads? What the....? Why?? I just don't understand some people. I can't fathom why they would be unhappy about having amphibians in their yards! It reminds me of some people on the Ponds forum who complain because a heron visited and ate their fish. As has been said many times, if you build it, they will come. And they're ALL welcome at my pond! I can't imagine being the sort of person who would complain about toads and swallows. I feel sorry that you have to live around those types of people, Leslie! Brenda |
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| I think these people don't understand why there are such huge numbers of toads, we're talking hundreds here, at each house. You can't walk through the flower beds or even the grass without them scattering. I know they don't like them I don't think they realize what they do for them. They look to be in their early 20's. Most of the folks in this subdivison are all young and first time home buyers, these toads are messing up something for them or in the way, especially the ones with toddlers, I imagine... They're so little and don't hop, they walk, I bet the little ones catch them and try to put them in their mouths or bring them in. I don't know. I don't talk to them. We're about the oldest people in the area, we don't have kids and don't hang out front in our garages like they all do. Hey, I found out why my cats are waking me up in the middle of the night though. Even though I leave them food out at night. Apparently about at least 3 of these guys are hanging out on the back porch and the cats are scared of them, LOL* Some of these guys are eating enough bugs to grow big! I went out to look and found this one and two others out there. I moved a bag of soil yesterday afternoon and found them hiding under it, so they like that porch. |
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| Oh, my goodness! Isn't that little guy cute! I think it's so funny that kitties would be scared of them, but I guess if I found something so chunky in MY food, I'd be freaked out, too. LOL I love that pic, Leslie! I'm saving it to show my friends and family. :) Brenda |
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| These guys were doing a meet and confer on breakfast Sunday early morning:) I was taking pics of the roses. I spent 10 minutes watching them. First it was the larger one, he's about 2" big, then the 2nd one joined him. If you look closely there's a 3rd itty bitty one in the center top of the photo, look for the eyes. He wanted to join them and started walking up to them and they told him to take off and he veered off a few inches from them and went off to a calla lilly:) The flies kept lighting on the big one and I was trying to get a pic of that. The flies were too fast and so was the toad, LOL* I did have some cheap entertainment watching them. They're pretty good at this. However, I did find a rose slug up in a very thorny climber still. All around me was I was still the toads were out eating bugs, good toads! |
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| I LOVE your toad pics, Leslie! They are the cutest little things! I was "awww-ing" while reading about the tiny one being turned away from the meeting, too. LOL The frogs here keep getting into my watering can outside the front door. Every morning, they squeeeeze back out of the can spout as I'm watering pots. They also like to hide in the stacks (and stacks and stacks....) of old nursery pots I have on the porch. Whenever I interrupt one from a nap (or whatever!), I always apologize. LOL The neighbors must think I talk to myself. I have to return most of those pots to the nursery this weekend. But I think I'll make sure to keep the frogs. :) Brenda |
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| That's what I made them homes out of, all the pots I could find. Clay and plastic, I spread then all over the back yard to give them someplace out of the sun to hide during the day and shade from the full sun. There are so many of them I don't have enough mature plants and shrubs for them. Their favorite places are under bricks and pots. I lift my decorative rocks I put out there and usually find one snugged under there. The mulch is pretty loose and easy for them to apparently wiggle down in. The rocks vary from about 4" to 9". Heck there's a bunch of them hiding in the tall thick fescue grass. When I walk across it they go swimming for cover! They hang up on top of the grass still, they're so little most of them. Some of them are getting pretty fat like this one in that pic though:) Shhh, I apologise too every time I have to go water the bedding plants every day to keep them growing in the heat and out they all run from the water from under the plants and the pots. LOL* That little guy at the top was only 1/2" big. That's pretty funny them squeezing out of your watering can! |
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