SongofJoy said:Many tree frogs can change color for camouflage, going from green to a grayish color,

Yep. Here's the same type that I showed in my first picture - here, he's much greener.



I read somewhere that these critters are very sensitive to environment, and it does seem like they would be since their skin absorbs moisture from "pockets" (think collected dew) on our plants.

But he's still so darn cute!

They sure do love those cannas!

Funny. Last year, early in the season, we had one in each of the horizontal hollow metal pipes that our wash line is made from. Oh, the amplified racket those fellas were able to make in there! You could hear them anywhere on the property, they were so loud!

That's funny, chelle.
They sure do love those big 'ol canna leaves. And I love the look they give you when you happen to unfurl their hideout. If looks could kill ... they have a lot of moxie for such little things.

A thud on the window very early before daylight. I had a different view of a frog.


"On the outside looking in"

Fun!! They're always a nice surprise.

You'll have to enlarge this to get the full effect, I think.

Cute photos Tee and Sharon.

Too funny. Those eyes say it all. Mine was after the bugs drawn to my desk lamp at the window, I think. However, he (or she) must have either jumped from the roof of the carport or crawled up the side of the house because this window is a story above the basement-level garage.

Oops. cross-posted. Thanks, Margaret.

Very cute and very funny!

The eternal fascination of the cat for the outdoor creatures!

Indeed, Linda. I had one bring me a little snake a few days ago. I think he thought it was dead but when he dropped it on the floor, it took off wiggling.

Those are very wonderful photos I do not see the frogs here in my yard, but I do hear them croaking out loud at night by the creek bordering our area...with the frequent rains it is fun time for them

Ah, I think the cat might actually want it alive...to stock the cat's little playroom.

I don't mind it alive at all ... just outside, please. My kitty loves me.

I have a toad in my pond. It has been in there for three days. No, it is not a frog, I know the diffence between a toad and a frog, I usually get frogs in the pond come summer but this is the first time I have had a toad in there. Now I am wondering if it might be a female wanting to spawn.

Hi everyone!

I've been searching the web for information on toads for pest control, and haven't come up with much, other than they are great at pest control! We have a creek two doors down, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were toads there, but I can't find any! Everything I've read said they'll show up in your yard if they are nearby and you have a good spot for them, but I've had no luck at that. I'm getting ready to put out a sign that states "Free room and all-you-can-eat buffet"! We fenced our yard in two years ago, which doesn't make a good entrance to the yard, but I really want some toads! I've checked the pet stores, and they have fancy toads, but I'm not willing to pay $25 or more for one of them! We do have some owls in the area (the babies are SO cute!), and a large hawk that lives nearby, so knowing my luck, I'd be feeding the owls and hawk a very expensive meal.

I do have a very secluded and damp spot in the yard that has lots of large rocks with great hiding places. I also have a really bad slug problem because of that, and it's right next to my shady hosta garden.

I control the slugs the best that I can by picking them off the plants, but that just grosses me out! There are also too many slugs when my hostas are starting to grow, and I never get them all. They sure can do a lot of damage! I have dogs, so I won't use any poison, even though I have all of my flower beds fenced in with rabbit fence so that the flowers don't get destroyed by the dogs. So while it's probably safe to put slug and snail bait out, I refuse to do so since it's not worth taking a chance on.

Does anyone have any suggestions on where to get toads that don't cost a fortune? And if you have toads in your yard, do they do a good job of keeping the slug population down? I'd hate to go to a ton of trouble getting toads, only to find out that they really aren't all that great at doing the job that I'd like them to do!

Thanks for any advice!

Natalie

Well, I have at least one toad in my yard now. I usually see it in a fairly shady part that I keep some potted plants that have to be watered fairly often. I knew toads were a good thing to have around, so I try not to disturb it when watering or caring for the plants. Lately, I'm not seeing any slugs...earlier in the spring there was some. I don't know for sure if the toad or toads were the main reason the slugs aren't around or not, but it seems likely. I found this website, which has some interesting info about the problem of slugs and snails.
http://www.haywardm.supanet.co...

Thanks for the link Linda. I had seen that page, and was thinking about a Hedgehog, but my DH insists that we'd find it in pieces, along with my flower bed, as soon as our Lab saw it. Not a good idea according to him, and I'd have to agree! They are so cute though.

We raised bullfrogs when I was a kid, and while it took a while to get used to the noise, after a bit, we couldn't sleep when we weren't at home. I miss that noise, and would love a bullfrog and the pond to go with it, but it seems like more work than it's worth. And again, the Lab would be a problem. She's obsessed with water. I can easily hide a small water dish behind the bushes for a toad, but bullfrogs need a lot of water.

I have tried talking DH into building a small cement pond for the dogs, but that hasn't gone over very well either. Bailey the Lab could spend the entire day in there and would maybe stop bringing me something (anything, really) to throw for her, so that I could get more yard work done! We've spent a fortune on kiddie pools, but she destroys them. Maggie the Golden Retriever just likes soaking her feet from time to time, and if Maggie had a frog to keep her company, it wouldn't be a bad thing. However, Bailey would just bring it to me so that I could throw it for her! That is another reason I need some toads!

Here is Bailey in action!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Natalie

I have two frogs in my pond. The big 350 gallon pond. Might be more but I have seen two at once.