Toads eat loads of pesky bugs

Q. Are toads really that good for my garden? If so, how do I get more of them?

Julie from Poland

A Yes! It is too bad toads have such a bad reputation. I admit these squatty things are not the most beautiful creature in the garden. But holding a toad will not give you warts. The good news for those who are not especially fond of toads is that they are mostly nocturnal. They will seek cool, damp shelter during daylight hours. But if you come across one, be grateful.

It might be news to some, but you do want toads in your garden. The American Toad Bufo americanus has a wide ranting diet that includes flies, crickets, locusts, grasshoppers, bees, wasps, beetles, spiders, caterpillars, earthworms, slugs and snails, according to Penn State University. They estimate that 88 percent of their prey are invertebrates which are considered plant pests. I think I’d like to have toads around my screen door. Toads cut down on pest populations, thereby reducing the need for insect controls.

They are rather awkward creatures, and are pretty clumsy as they move. This makes tongue speed important. Their tongues are sticky and are so fast the human eye usually can’t see the action. Some toads have the ability to pull their eyeballs inwards and use the blinking action to aid in swallowing food. I am thankful not to have witnessed that.

To encourage toads to take up residence at your place consider toad houses. You can buy cutely decorated toad houses. I use broken clay pots as toad homes. I often find a toad in the house. Leaving more native areas around the outsides of your property and near gardens will help, too. Leaf litter gives them protection.

You should be inviting frogs to your landscape, too. Frogs also feed on insects.

Since frogs need to be in the water more often, it’s more likely you will see more toads than frogs in the garden. What’s the difference? Frogs have smooth, moist skin, longer legs, webbed hind feet with sticky pads, are brighter green and need to stay close to water. Toads have a thicker, chubby body dry body that looks warty, are darker in color, do not have webbed feet and are often found on land, not far from water.

Both frogs and toads can croak and both lay their eggs in the water. The toad’s eggs are in a stringy jelly-like substance, the frog’s eggs are in a clump of jelly-like mass. Both toads and frogs eggs hatch into tadpoles.

Visit http://go.osu.edu/toadsfrogs to learn more toads, frogs and other amphibians in Ohio.

This week’s question is answered by Marilyn McKinley, OSU Extension master gardener volunteer in Mahoning County. Winter hours for the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic vary. Submit questions to the clinic at 330-533-5538 or drop samples off to the OSU Extension Office in Canfield.