Toads in Your Garden
Lots of people don't know how very important toads are to their garden. One average sized toad can eat up to 1,000 insects in a day! The more toads you have, the more insects can be eaten and that means you don't need to use bad chemicals that hurt you and the Earth and animals.
Many companies that sell chemicals to get rid of bugs and weeds don't want people to know how great a job toads can do in the garden because they want to make lots of money selling their chemicals. They don't care that kids and grown ups get sick on these chemicals, and they certainly do not care about frogs, toads, birds and other animals who can be made sick or even die from exposure to chemicals.
Some people use chemicals to kill the bugs that eat their vegetables in the garden. Those chemicals are known as PESTICIDES (pronounced "pest-i-sides). Other people use chemicals to get rid of weeds. We will call those "Weed Killers" but they are also called "HERBICIDES" (pronounced "herb_i_sides").
Weed Killers like "Roundup" have been shown to hurt and kill frogs and toads. Here are some articles to show your parents:
http://www.frogjoy.com/roundup.html
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_319779.html
If this chemical can hurt frogs and toads, it can hurt people. All living things should avoid toxic chemicals!
There are things you can do to make your garden toad friendly. Here are some simple suggestions:
1. Don't use chemicals of any kind. Learn about organic gardening - that means chemical free gardening. Lots of websites and books can teach you how.
2. Keep a toad house in a shady part of the garden and be sure there is lots of water available for the toads.
3. Be sure your yard is free of trash and litter that can make the dirt poisonous to wildlife.
We have a great article about Toads in the Garden on toadilytoads.com. Read it here. Its full of lots of great information and pictures, too!