This has got to be the biggest Michigan toad I've ever seen! Just for fun, I weighed him and he was 12 ounces. He sits out there by the garden lights and eats every bug that comes along. I think, over all, I have had more toads in the gardens than ever before. I found 9 in the herb garden. Now, if only they would eat box elder bugs....
You lucky gardener! I would love to have him in my garden - getting nice and chubby on my slugs. ; )
Come to think of it, I never do see slugs in the garden. I remember when my son was little, we found a toad that had been eating fireflies and his tummy was glowing. We brought him in the house and my son kept him in a terreriaum for a couple of years till we released him. They eat a LOT of crickets from the pet store. He used to make the neatest "carrick" sound. (The toad, not the kid.)
He is a great one. He knows a good spot when he finds it. What a wonderful bug catcher.
We had a big one like that by our garage. He would sit under the light (that comes on at dark) wait for the bugs to come in and pig out!
They say that frogs, turtles and toads are on the decline, but I have not seen any support of this. Seems like we have more than ever and they are welcome around our place.
That is the biggest toad I've ever seen! He doesn't even look real. How lucky you are to have him.
We have millions of frogs and a fair share of turtles. I even stopped the van one day to "help" one across the road so he wouldn't get run over. :)
ribbit ribbit
We have a small pond in our back yard and it attracts toads also. We here them out there croaking in the middle of the night I always laugh. I think its so cute Ronna
They keep DH awake, but I find thier song soothing and it puts me asleep,
I can remember when we used to go camping as kids and loving listening to the croaking of the frogs all day long but mostly at night. Very nice. those were fun times. Does any one know if there are good things to do up by Taquamanon (sp) Falls? we will be going there inJuly. Camping.
Swat mosquitoes and black flies.
LOL...we can do that at home!
You forgot the deer flies, they are just starting to come out and make a pest of themselves.
Visit Whitefish Point and the Shipwreck Museum there.
okay maybe we can put that on our agenda. Ronna
This afternoon, one of the toads fought back. We were putting the watermellon to chill in the garden pond (icy cold artesian water) and my son noticed something in the water. It was the garter snake that has lived under my garden shed for years. she was big for a garter (about three feet). Evidentally she tried to take a toad off of one of the rocks by the waterfall and was halfway through it when they fell in the water. Sadly both drowned. It wasn't the big toad, thank goodness and now I know why my frogs have been dissapearing around the pond. Oh well, I'd rather have the frogs and toads than the snake and I haven't seen my snake hating husband so happy in a long time. (Wait till I tell him about the blue racer in the herb garden!)
I have a garter snake in my big perennail raised bed. He was in there last year too. I knew he was still there when I was in there earlier in the spring and saw where he had shed his skin. He comes out and shows himself to me all the time now. He moves fast but I'd say he's a couple to three feet long. I know he is afraid of me and I'm afraid of him so we're even. :) I know he's good. He eats mice, voles and bugs etc. so I want him to hang around. I just wish I could get over being startled by him. I've decided to name him. I call him Scooter since he scoots around so fast. No relation to Scooter Libby I don't think. ha ha ha I wish he could eat that rabbit that keeps chewing on things. ha ha
Oh, it just started raining here in Au Gres. Yea!! I'll take whatever rain we can get. We sure need to get rain. WE got a good one the other night. This is just a bonus.
I'm glad you still have your big toad! I love toads and other critters in the garden. I don't like to get startled by a snake, but I like to see them. I was thinking of adding a rock feature to encourage one to live there, but I don't want him eating my toads. What to do....
This is a strange summer for toads. I have removed the same small toad from my laundry room and back to the garden 4 times in the last three weeks. I know it the same as the second time I put a dab or acrylic paint on it's head. I have no clue how he's getting in unless he figured out how to use the doggy door!
I put him in one of the far gardens this time. We'll see what happens.
That is really funny. Why does he want in there? I was up past your place the weekend before the fourth. Went to Elk Rapids to meet some friends on thier boat and went out for a couple days. The cherries sure looked good this year, just hanging on the trees.
Next time, STOP IN! I'd love to meet you in person. WHere else do you get the chance to have tea with a fawn, 5 baby mallards, 5 possoms and whatever else playing at your feet?
I wonder if toads eat earwigs? There are lots of them in there.
We probably went right by your house on the way. I wasn't driving, so I was gawking. Through your area I was looking for lots of animals and a nice garden. I saw several. Nice area to be sure. Our neice loves living there.
He's baaaaack. I caught the warty little devil crawling through the doggy door today. Now he's going for a nice long ride in the country. I really wouldn't mind a toad in the laundry room, but when I cleaned the closet out this spring I found a mumified frog and don't want it to hapen to him. Hmmmm, if I take him out, with this be "Mr. Toads Wild Ride"?
I think that is the funniest thing, that he must be going thru the doggy door. You are right to relocate him. We found our big one a couple years ago, that tried to winter over in the garage. So sad. Such great bug eaters.
He's BAAAACK! AGAIN! The toad that I relocated to my son's yard has been back in the laundry room two nights in a row. Tonight, I caught him coming in the doggy door. Jeeze, I can't even get the cat to use the darn door, but of course a TOAD can do it. I still can't figure out what he wants in there. I usually find him by the dog food dish, but I know he can't be after that. Since the dog has been on his diet, there is never even a crumb left in the bowl.
Maybe he just wants to wash his undies....
Too funny. You have a toad and ducks that use the doggy door.
I agree, why would he want to come inside? Just because he can? Next you will have him in the middle of your bed. (like the raccoon)
I DO have standards of who is allowed in my bed, you know.
(though I may have to lower those standards a bit. I don't think George Clooney is going to crawl through my doggy door)
Hahahahaha,
Keep dreaming. Better put in a bigger doggy door for George.
Maybe Brad Pitt would fit.
what a cute toad story!!!!
Do toads really eat dog food? I am glad I don't have a doggy door, but I wouldn't mind putting bribes out for more toads. Last weekend My mom and uncle arrived at my house after dark with stories of a monster toad in my yard, I have been moving a few toads around for mowing all summer, so I was just thinking they are old and seeing my little toads as being bigger than they are. Then I went out to help unload the car and there he was sitting right in the middle of the side walk, he looked as big as the one in Jyls picture that started this thread. He must hide good because he wasn't there the next morning and I had never seen him before. At least he is way too big to accidentally mow.
I'v seen a lot of toads this year small ones but there out there in the yard doing there job which is better than the Rats I saw at the neighbors the other night I about died they dont seam to conserned though????? they will be if I find one here!!!LOL yak!!
Gloria
oh yuck, rats are bad, good luck with keeping them on the other side of the property line.
It's a SIGN, jyl! You are supposed to write a children's book! LOLOL!
Yea, well, it would help if he had a publishers name under his warty little arm! Actually, I want everyone to know that I AM working on it. I am writing all these stories down every night when I go to bed. Feel free to contribute ideas! I promise I won't use actuall names (maybe discriptions....)
OK, I give up. The toad can stay. I have removed him from my laundry room three times this week. He must want to stay. I don't know who he was in his last life (or what he did to end up as a toad), but he must have liked me. (Dad?)
I'm so afraid he will end up in the closet or something over the winter and I'll find him mummified in my summer cowboy boot (believe me, it's happened), So he now lives with the hermit crabs in their cage. The poor hermit crab has been moved out of his little coconut house by the toad, but we already knew he was a pushy little devil. I'll get him some crickets and make a nice terrerium with maybe some fairy lights and a little pond and some pretty stones.... (Martha, please STOP me!) Next Spring he will go back out and we'll probably start the game all over again.
Maybe the Rode Island toad told him I buy good crickets.
He's one smart cookie! Who wants to hybernate in the muck and cold when you can spend the winter in warm bliss???
he will probubly weigh over a pound by next june if you keep him a wake maybe 2 pounds cant wait to see a pic of him next year LOL
Gloria
