A Toad Habitat in the Backyard Garden

Posted by Vonda on Aug. 28, 2020

We have been wanting to create a special toad habitat for a couple years now, since we started seeing American toads in our garden. We did a little research only to find we were already a good portion of the way there.

Toad Habitat

It turns out that much of what is needed to for a toad habitat comes for free with a native plant garden: Native Plants. Native plants offer three important resources needed in a toad habitat:

  1. Shade: Toads prefer a shady place to stay protected from the sun and keep cool and moist.
  2. Cover: Toads prefer a habitat that offers places to hide from birds and snakes and other predators. Native plants provide cover to keep the toads hidden.
  3. Insects: Toad feed on insects and insects are a critical part of any toad habitat. Native plants attract a wide variety of native insects that feed on the foliage or seek nectar/pollen from the flowers.

Our Toad Puddle in the Backyard Rain Garden

In addition to native plants, toads need a shallow water source. We have plenty of bird baths in our gardens, but they are all mounted on a pedestal or a stand and are inaccessible to the toads. We do have swales that frequently hold water during rainy periods, but during the drier parts of summer, they tend to dry up. To meet the needs of the toads in our garden, we chose a large resin plant saucer (about 2 ft in diameter and about 2-3 inches deep. We watched for toads in the gardens and chose a spot in the rain garden close to areas where we have seen toads in the past. This spot is surrounded by Black-eyed Susans, Great Blue Lobelia, Cardinal flower, and Purple Milkweed. There is also Monkey Flower and some Joe Pye volunteers coming up nearby. These plants hang over the "Toad Puddle" and provide both shade and cover.

The Toad puddle is surrounded by native plants for shade and cover.

We filled the bottom of the saucer with play sand to create a more natural bottom with a little friction. We then added a variety of small to medium garden stones around the edges of the Toad Puddle so that the toads can easily climb in and out of the puddle.

Our first visitor to the toad puddle

The toad pond had only been installed for a little more than a week, when we found our first toad visitor staying cool in the water this morning.

It is important to make sure the toad pond never goes dry. The toads will come back for the water they expect to find here and if it has dried up, they will have to travel elsewhere to find more.

Rocks line the sides of the toad puddle making exit and entry easy for the toads

Our toad habitat is almost complete. The final component will be the Toad House to provide shelter and protection for the toad.