Where Did All These Toads Come From?

Frogs and toads have always been a part of the farm. Evening walks to the pond are always accompanied by the pond peepers and their high pitched chorus. The addition of large mouth bass in our pond seemed to cut back on the numbers of frogs over the past two years. We have managed to keep a fairly large population of bullfrogs, though, at the pond. As you walk by the pond's edge you will hear them jumping into the safety of the shallow water.



What we have noticed this year is a large population of toads. There is one that lives in our feed room and several that I have noticed in the vegetable garden. These warty fellows are always welcome since they help to keep the insect population at bay.


This week, as I mowed,I noticed for the first time a huge amount of tiny toads. I am not sure if these are just young toads or a species of smaller toads. Almost everywhere you step you can see them hopping through the grass to avoid your step. I am wondering if we have so many as a result of the wet weather we have had most of this year.