Frogs & Amphibians in the Garden

Where have all the frogs gone?  As a young girl growing up in Lawrence when Kasold Street was on the fringe of town and trees, gully’s and tiny streams dominated the Deerfield area I used to see hundreds of frogs.  There are a plethora of reasons that I’m seeing fewer frogs where they were once abundant, human infringement onto their territory, an increase in the UV rays due to the thinning ozone layer and pollution oftentimes through lawn and garden chemicals all attribute to them disappearing from some areas.  But, I like frogs and I want to see more of them.

Frogs and toads can be very useful to a garden, playing a key role in squelching the pest population; these little guys are mainly carnivores preying on insects.  Amphibians are animals that live on land, but being closely related to fish, they still need water to mate and to deposit their eggs in.  Their larvae are known as tadpoles, polliwogs or pollywogs.  In their tadpole stage it is essential that they live in water and rather than resembling their parents, they look more like fish with a tail and no arms or legs.  These cold-blooded creatures, unlike you and I who produce heat internally; amphibians derive a comfortable temperature from their surroundings.  They must move to a cooler or warmer location to regulate this, which is why you’ll often see an amphibian sunning himself on a rock or gurgling on a ledge in a pond. 

The skin of frogs, toads and salamanders is very permeable leaving them highly susceptible to weed and pest killers, detergents and other chemicals we deposit into the environment.  Amphibians breathe in part, and absorb water through their skin making it easy for contaminants to enter their bodies. Their skin always needs to be moist; if they dry out…they die. 

Joseph Collins knows amphibians; he retired from the University of Kansas Natural History Museum in 1997 and is now an Adjunct Herpetologist for the Kansas Biological Survey.  He has called Lawrence home since 1968 and assists with the Kansas Anuran Monitoring Program, otherwise known as KAMP.  A volunteer program coordinated by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.  The program is to help determine the status and population trends of Kansas’s 22 species of frogs and toads.   He states, “Having frogs and toads is number one a sign of a healthy environment, the water is good.  Number two, it is very pleasant to hear the sounds of frogs calling.  Number three, after a long cold Lawrence winter they are the first sign of springs arrival, and number four, the world would be a frightening place without frogs.  I mean look at Kermit!”

Disappearing Act

The problem with deciphering if frogs and toads are on the decline, Collins says, “I can’t say, the KU women’s walking group this morning found a Leopard Frog.  Nobody is surveying the abundance of frogs.  If someone is studying a frog they may notice a decline.  The Crawfish Frog for instance, was abundant in the Baker Wetlands through the 1950’s, but because someone and it is unknown who, dug trenches all around the Wetlands that was the beginning of the end of the Crawfish Frog.  The last time I saw one was in 1978, it had been hit by a car and was brought into my office.”   

Collins refers to frog and toad habitats that are disappearing as “Silent Springs” from a book by Rachel Carson about the effects of chemicals on the environment entitled, “Silent Springs”.  He says, “Silent Springs are happening in some parts of our country, Western Pennsylvania for instance, my colleagues and I cannot find Chorus Frogs in that area any longer.  In Michigan the same problem is occurring with Chorus Frogs.  One species in Kansas, the Northern Cricket Frog, used to be prevalent in the Western quarter of the state and now they are very difficult to find.”

What of deformities in frogs and toads, isn’t that a good indication that the environment is polluted?  Collins answers, “The problem with deformities is that none of us stood around the past 1000 years and took note of these anomalies.  If we found a pond today with 1000 frogs and 6 were deformed, we don’t know if that is normal or not.  We are in the data stage rather than the comparison stage, in a decade down the road maybe we’ll be in the comparison stage.”

Luring Amphibians

Both Collins and Susan Davis, owner of Water’s Edge, agree that the best way to attract frogs and toads to the garden is through a water source.  You may also opt to choose non-chemical weed controls whenever possible, like mulch, spading, hoeing and pulling weeds.  Another suggestion would be to stop fertilizing your lawn instead leave the grass clippings after you mow to decompose, this is equal to fertilizing your lawn once or twice a year, keep in mind there are also organic fertilizers on the market.  If you do build a pond ensure that the edges are not too steep so that the amphibians can get in and out easily.  Go to the wetlands and discover the gorgeous native plants that you can mimic in your backyard.  Provide places for these critters to hide and spots in which to sunbathe.  If you build a water garden, they will come you just need to practice some patience.

Davis says of frogs in the garden, “Frogs are important in the water garden.  The tadpoles graze on algae on the sides of the pond; the adult frogs eat bugs in the garden!  They are a part of the ‘biology of the pond’, whether it is in natural ponds or in our backyard water gardens. For me, the greatest contribution they make is putting smiles on our faces and laughter in our hearts as they sing and jump in the pond.  During the summer, you can find lots of tadpoles and frogs in their various stages of life and metamorphosis in the yard, it is fascinating.”

Toads

If you are fortunate enough to already have amphibians in the garden, how do you know if you have a frog or toad and what kind for that matter?  This may help.  Toad’s hind legs are weaker than frogs; consequently they do not jump as well.  Toads have dry, rough skin, often with many warts.  They are less susceptible of drying out than frogs and are nocturnal creatures for the most part.  When toads feel threatened they may secrete a stink from their glands making them very unappealing to enemies.  The males tend to be smaller than the females.  They mate in March and oftentimes deposit their eggs in the same water source that that parent toad was born in.  Their eggs appear in long lines.  Toads are excellent swimmers and diggers; they eat insects and might live to be 10-15 years old.

According to Collins these are the common toads and frogs of Lawrence.  Information provided by the KAMP website.

Woodhouse Toad:  It’s belly is without dark spots, the males have throats that are darker than the rest of the belly and like most toads they are more active at night.  Their calls are explosive and have a nasal tone sounding like “w-a-a-a-a” lasting 1-3 ½ seconds.

American Toad:  These fellas grow over 4.5 inches long and are well-known in gardens.  They possess a relatively heavy belly and only one wart per dorsal spot.  They are active at night and hidden in the day.  They have a long, musical trill that lasts for several seconds to 30 second.  Each male in a chorus sings on a different pitch.  They breed in April-June, when a mounted male responds to release calls it is with throaty squeaks or chirps.

Frogs

Frogs are extremely voracious and will do crazy things just to get that nibble to eat.  They may be acrobatics with high, sudden leaps or sneak through the water like a stealth bomber completely undetected.  They have long, sticky tongues for catching flying insects.  They tend to be skittish and are frightened by sudden movements.  If you stay still long enough the frogs will emerge. 

Gray Treefrog:  These frogs are 1 ¼ to 2 inches in length with rough skin that is green to gray to brown with light spots beneath their eyes.  They have bright yellow or orange on the concealed surface of their hind legs with large toe pads, a rough or bumpy dorsal skin that usually has darker blotches.  Their call is a short, high trill.

Northern Cricket Frog:  This frog is wartier, heavier and bulkier than other cricket frogs.  They have a dark stripe on the thigh blending with dark pigment above and in the anal region.  They have shades of light brown with gray and green speckles; they sport a rounded snout and have relatively short legs with heavy webbing of the hind foot.  The males have a single yellowish vocal pouch under the chin and a dark triangle between the eyes, often they have a bright green or reddish strip on their backs.  Their call wounds like two small pebbles being tapped together, it starts slow and accelerates.

Plains Leopard Frog:  The brown to buff frogs have large spots between yellow dorsal lateral ridges with a light tympanum spot and colored jaw line.  Their call is a “chuck-chuck-chuck” that is very abrupt with guttural notes and lasts for 2-3 seconds.

If you are interested in hearing these calls they are on the KAMP website or if you would like to volunteer to help monitor the frogs and toads of Kansas there is information on that as well.  Water’s Edge is also conducting the Frog Days of Summer discussions where myth, magic and real information about frogs and toads is discussed.