Frogs are beneficial wildlife to have in the garden. They are one of the best animals to have around really. They signal that the environment you’ve created is clean because they can’t survive in polluted environments. They have diets that are perfect for the gardener, naturally helping with pest control. And, like any wild animal, they habitually drop little pips of fertilizer as they hop to and fro.

With that in mind, it might bring about another question: Which frogs are best for the garden? The simple answer is that all frogs are beneficial, and we can add toads to this notion as well. While there are poisonous frogs in the world, they tend to be brightly colored and residents of tropical environments. Frogs and toads of the United States are little to no threat to people though there are a few, particularly toads, that can be a threat to pets that lick or bite them.

In other words, rather than figuring out which frogs to attract, the more relevant idea is how to attract any native frogs or toads and why it’s worth doing.

Source: The Wildlife Garden Project/Youtube

Why We Want Frogs in the Garden

Frogs and toads are great garden friends primarily because they eat lots of pests. They eat pests that might otherwise decimate gardens. They love to feast on flying insects, and they are pleased to dine on slugs, caterpillars, and beetles as well.

In addition to helping to control garden pests, frogs, toads, and tadpoles are skilled at eliminating a lot of other pests. They eat mosquitoes, flies, and cockroaches. Tadpoles will even help stop mosquitoes in the larvae stage by eating them in that infamous standing water.

Providing a healthy environment for frogs and toads is also a worthy part of conservation. They are integral parts of the ecosystem, feeding lots of wildlife, like birds of prey, that’ll control rodent populations when they are around.

Plus, they provide a nightly serenade that can make a garden, yard, or patio all the more relaxing.

Source: NYC Gal Out/Youtube

How to Attract Frogs to the Garden

Frogs and toads are looking for clean environments to call home. As human development expands into the suburbs and beyond, those places become less and less available. Having frogs in the garden signifies that the garden is growing right.

First and foremost, it is imperative to avoid chemicals like pesticides and herbicides. They destroy frog populations because they’ll absorb those toxins, mixed with water, through their skin. Organic gardening is the only way to go, and the less organic fertilizers and pest control in use, the better.

Of course, a good source of water, especially a garden pond, is ideal, or it’s also possible to make small wetlands in a yard or garden. Water will provide a place for frogs to swim, as well as a place for them to mate and tadpoles to develop. Frogs and toads also love moist environments such as those adjacent to water.

There is also a collection of plants that frogs like. They love large-leafed plants like hostas and rhubarb, where they can hide out. They also love tall, thin water plants horsetails, reeds, water irises, and water lilies. Of course, these types of plants thrive in small ponds and wetlands.

Source: Snake Discovery/Youtube

The Difference Between Frogs & Toads

Frogs and toads are commonly mistaken for one another. In reality, they are both frogs, with toads being a type of frog. So, not all frogs are toads, but all toads are frogs. However, toads are different from other frogs in a few ways.

Toads have shorter legs, built for hopping rather than leaping, as other frogs do. Frogs tend to be perpetually moist. They absorb water (and oxygen) through their skin, whereas toad skin can be dry because they are more likely to use their lungs to breathe.

Toads typically lay eggs in strings. But, frogs usually lay their legs in large clusters. Both lay in the water and morph from tadpoles into the adults we know.

Regardless, spotting either of these in the garden is a good omen.

Can Frogs Make Your Garden Grow?

Well, maybe not quite the same way a gardener (or even birds) can. They won’t eat seeds and sow them for you. However, they will help to protect young plants from being devoured by hungry insects and ground-dwellers like slugs. They’ll attract other beneficial animals to the area, which could help with larger pests like voles. They inevitably add small quantities of fertility that’ll give plants nutrients. And, they let you know that toxins are not an issue.

Isn’t that reason enough to warrant an invite?

Related Content:

• The World’s Appetite for Frogs is Driving These Amphibians to Extinction
• How Climate Change and Road Salt Pollution are Endangering Frogs
• Frogs are Great for You Garden and How to Make Them Feel at Home
• 80 Frogs Rescued From Toro Canyon Creek Oil Seepage
• Footage of Frogs Cut with Scissors Being Sold at Wet Markets in Vietnam

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