Frogs and Toads in our Backyard
WOW was honored to welcome back Ms. Theresa Morr of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, last Saturday at the Davidson Farmer’s Market. Did you know that populations of frogs and toads are diminishing in our area? Do you know how you can help? Theresa demonstrated how to build a toad castle to provide shelter during these hot summer days – just add water! Here’s how:
Use a large, low vessel – a plastic flower pot saucer works just right;
soak a medium sized terracotta pot in water and set upside down into the saucer;
raise the side of the pot with rocks so the toad may enter (or make good use of chipped or broken pots);
decorate your castle and just add water to the saucer.
The toads will move in to stay cool and safe during the day, and will reward you for your effort by eating slugs and other garden pests at night.
We enjoyed the many stories from our market visitors – the story of prince charming, lots of tree frogs in grills, frog houses in the sand and solving mystery of the bumpy, brownish striped toad.
Thank you for your continued interest, and to Theresa for joining us and sharing her expertise. An electronic copy of the guide sheet may be found here: http://www.herpsofnc.org/herps_of_NC/anurans/anurans.html