A Toad Lives in My Garden

I was watering my herb pots the other day and a toad the size of a mouse came hopping by and crawled under the foundation. Other family members have seen it also. There is not a body of water near where I live its about two blocks away. Is this thing beneficial for my plants or is it going to eat them? I am assuming it will be eating insects. Pls advise. I am not going to do anything about the toad but just curious. I now call my house "Toad Hall".

Your toad won't hurt a thing. He'll eat little insects and grubs that could damage your plants though. I always look at toads like I do earthworms, if you have them, everything is right in your garden.

Tim

Oh thanks good to know. He is kind of brown and ugly and not as cute as a frog.

Back when I lived in Libertyville and had a garden, I, too discovered a toad on the premises. I wanted to keep him or her there, and went so far as to look up a herpetologist and ask his advice. He told me to purchase a pottery toad house -- basically a terra cotta cone or beehive with a hole cut through it to make a door -- and to place that there at the edge of the garden to give the toad a place to relax and cool off. I did it, and the toad loved it. Stayed there a whole year, then set off, never to be seen again.

A neat idea. This toad I believe is hanging around and probably will stay. I saw it craw under a small crevice between my patio and screen porch. It lives underneath the porch. If I come to water it hops and crawls under there. I sprinkle a little water there if its thirsty. I think its quite happy there. Who knows if it will go away.