[janetclark]

I would be very grateful for some advice. We have found lots of toads living in our garden; from quite small too really very large, we try very hard to leave to garden untouched, only trimming where absolutely necessary and never use insecticides. Is there anything we can do to make it better for them? Our back garden is quite small and has about two inches of topsoil then is clay, which means that it’s damp or wet for most of the year, could this be what is attracting them?

Thanks,

Janet.

[david plankton]

Hi Janet,
Well you didnt mention a pond so I guess you are lucky to have toads in your garden. Digging one may be out of the question in your case as toads and newts seem to prefer ponds with a surface area of more than 50 sq feet and are slightly more fussy than frogs when it comes to spawning.

As they seem happy enough without water, why not build a permanent hibernation site for them? A pile of logs and stones with lots of nooks and crannies will do the trick.
David

[jacana]

that's not true for newts, many species will lay eggs in the smallest of puddles, for instance the palmate newt of western europe will lay it's eggs in tyretracks!

[Stranger]

Originally Posted by janetclark

I would be very grateful for some advice. We have found lots of toads living in our garden; from quite small too really very large, we try very hard to leave to garden untouched, only trimming where absolutely necessary and never use insecticides. Is there anything we can do to make it better for them? Our back garden is quite small and has about two inches of topsoil then is clay, which means that it’s damp or wet for most of the year, could this be what is attracting them?

Thanks,

Janet.

Hi Janet
Like you I have Toads in my garden,we did not have a pond until this year and we have lived here for 21yrs.The Toads have been here for as long and we find young every year.It is a mystery where they breed as none of my near neighbours have a pond either.Like you we have a clay subsoil and the water tends to take a while to drain even though we live on the side of a hill,they seem to like rocks and undergrowth and plenty of slugs.

[janetclark]

Thanks everyone,
I don’t have a pool as the gardens to small, but there is a large lake about ½ a mile away. I like the sound of making a hibernation sight for them, we have loads of dead wood just over our fence, and so it will be very easy to sort out. Thank you all for taking time to offer your advice.

Janet.