You HAVE to LOOK at this! Amazing!

[Catalina]

I've never, ever seen one of these in my garden!

I was weeding and looked down to find this little guy-

Sadly he's a little deformed -

I live in the middle of suburbia, where did this little guy come from? And in Minnesota?

 

[Greenthumb18]

WOW!!! that little guy is amazing.
Maybe someone releashed him or lost him, if he's not native in that area that might be how he got in your garden.
But boy would i be excited to find these in my garden, i wish i could.

Nice pictures , Thanks for sharing

 

[CityChook]

really? first time?

I don't live on a pond or anything, but I have tons of little green frogs. Sometimes they climb up my dining room windows and we all have a good laugh. He a cute little guy.

Frogs in your garden are a good sign. They are pretty sensitive to fertilizer and chemicals, though, so go easy.

 

[GrowinVeggiesInSC]

Aw, poor guy!
I live in suburbia, too, and just found my first frog a week ago (in the composter, getting fat on bugs!). It's a good sign that you have a frog in your yard, maybe he will hang out around the pond and be your little pest-control helper?

The unfortunate thing is that amphibians are so sensitive to their environment. They have a permeable skin, so toxins from pesticides, etc. go right into their little bodies. I'm surprised I haven't seen more deformed frogs on my walks.
There is a mass extinction of amphibians right now, because of environmental factors, but also because of a nasty, deadly fungus that they can catch. It's very sad.

Frogs are going extinct. So are toads, salamanders, newts, and the intriguingly unusual caecilians. In fact, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) estimates that at least one-third of known amphibian species are threatened with extinction.

At least 1/3!!! EEEK! Read more here: Year of the Frog

I love all amphibians , which is why I WANT TO BUILD A POND (can you tell I'm getting irate because DH hasn't given in yet?)

ETA: I thought he was a gray tree frog but had to look it up to confirm. Gray tree frog males have those great yellow legs (sexy!). Gray tree frog

 

[vfem]

If I could package up all the frogs I have I would send you all some! I got bulldozed over by a few toads and frogs in the garden this morning... and if you go down near the pond they all jump at you!!!

He's a cute guy... I hope he stays a long long long time for you!!!!

 

[TillinWithMyPeeps]

OK, Question: Is there anyway to attract amphibians to your backyard without a pond? I would like to try to do my part to preserve them, but, I didn't know if it would be possible to do so without a pond.

 

[farmerlor]

I live in the high desert and we have toads and no pond though I want a pond in the worst way for my geese. They're like earthworms here. They come out when we've had a few days of rain (like now) and then they disappear again.

 

[vfem]

Problem is frogs lay their eggs IN water... so they really should have a water source for reproduction needs.

 

[GrowinVeggiesInSC]

OK, Question: Is there anyway to attract amphibians to your backyard without a pond? I would like to try to do my part to preserve them, but, I didn't know if it would be possible to do so without a pond.

Andy,
toads (who love slugs) don't need water in form of a pond, just moisture. Make sure you have lots of hide-aways for them. You can make "toad abodes" out of terra cotta pots like this one. We used to have a horseshoe pit in the backyard that we covered up with foamboard, and toads used to love this area because it was high humidity and full of bugs. I would mulch around the abode to attract insects to the area.

Good luck!

 

[aquarose]

We have always had tons of toads in our yard, but now that I'm doing better at cleaning up the yard, I am afraid they won't be so numerous. We have lots of leaf litter, bushes, rocks and other hiding places. I think they have had lots of bugs to eat and lots of moist hiding places. Oh, I am also afraid the chickens will eat them. We have always seen lots of little baby toads, just the right size for chicken snacking.