Where have all my toadies gone?

A landscaped garden with shrubs, rocks, and a walkway beside a house with gray siding and windows.

When I first moved into my house, I had a nightly visitor—a toad. Every evening, it would hop onto the porch and just hang out. Soon, more toads joined in, creating a lively little backyard crew among the mulch and pachysandra.

This harmony lasted for years until we replaced two backyard patios with one larger one. The project spanned months, from summer to spring, and unknowingly disrupted the backyard ecosystem. When spring arrived, ants invaded the house, forcing us to call exterminators. They wiped out everything—ants, beetles, spiders, flies—all gone. Problem solved? Not quite.

The toads, deprived of their food source, vanished. My once lively garden became eerily quiet. Determined to make things right, we ditched chemicals and managed the ants more naturally. To lure the toads back, we created “Frog River”—a rain pond designed for toads.

Slowly, the toads returned. First one, then a few more, until the garden was alive again with their familiar plops. The rain pond brought back my backyard crew, and now, we’re enjoying a full-blown “Loads of Toads” revival.

A woman smiles while holding a small toad in her hands at night, wearing a white patterned shirt.

Phase 1: Frog Pond, July 9 - 12, 2022

A muddy rain pond under a white downspout, surrounded by rocks, mulch, and a garden hose.
A muddy rain pond under a white downspout, surrounded by rocks, mulch, greenery, and a hose.
A muddy rain pond swirls beneath a white downspout, surrounded by rocks, mulch, and nearby greenery.
A rain pond forms under a white downspout, with debris, rocks, mulch, and a stone decoration nearby.
A rain pond with a stone under a white downspout, surrounded by rocks, mulch, and greenery.
A rain pond with a stone forms under a white downspout, surrounded by rocks, mulch, and shrubs.

Frog Pond
July 12, 2022

A rain pond under a white downspout with water, leaves, and a stone, surrounded by mulch and rocks.

Phase 2: Frog River, July 16, 2022

A damp rain pond with a stone under a white downspout, surrounded by mulch, plants, and a walkway.
A damp rain pond under a white downspout with a stone, surrounded by mulch, rocks, and plants.
A freshly dug soil trench runs through greenery, bordered by shrubs and plants near a sidewalk.
A freshly dug soil trench runs beside shrubs and plants near a house with gray siding.
A dry rain river under a white downspout, surrounded by mulch, rocks, greenery, and sidewalk..
A freshly dug trench with damp soil runs beside shrubs, plants, and a gray house with gravel nearby.
A muddy trench with water runs through soil and greenery beside shrubs near a gray house.
A rain river forms under a white downspout, surrounded by rocks, mulch, and greenery.

Frog River
July 16, 2022

A dry rain river with rocks and plants under a white downspout near a walkway and gray house.

Phase 3: Frog River, July 2024

A river garden with plants, mulch, rocks, a white downspout, and hanging lights by a walkway.
A river garden with mulch, plants, flowers, rocks, a potted plant, and a hanging light.
A river garden with mulch, plants, a Buddha statue, bricks, and a hanging light near shrubs.
A river garden with a Buddha statue, hanging lights, shrubs, plants, and a pebble border.

Frog River
Summer 2024

A river garden with shrubs, mulch, rocks, a white downspout, a potted plant, and hanging lights.