Save the Frogs Day: Frog Friendly Gardens
Today is Save the Frogs Day! In case you haven't heard of it, it's a day in which amphibian conservation organisations and frog-lovers across the world celebrate these interesting creatures.
Many of us love to welcome frogs into our garden, but their are certain things to think about if you want to make your garden as inviting to frogs as possible.
How to make your garden frog friendly
- Build a pond
It's no secret that frogs love water. If you don't have a pond already and you're serious about making your garden a frog haven, it's definitely worthwhile building one. Make sure that it's is shallow at one end and gradually gets deeper, and provide rocks at water level to allow the frogs easy entrance and exit from the pool.
- Don't fill your pond with fish
Certain species of fish like to eat tadpoles. This means that baby frogs could be in danger of being eaten. It's therefore a good idea to leave your pond fish-free if you're keen to see frogs take up residence in your garden.
- Don’t introduce your own frogs!
Ideally, you should avoid buying your own tadpoles and introducing them into the pond. This is because it's often unclear which type of frogs your tadpoles will turn into. Bringing frogs that aren't native to your area into your garden could cause local frogs to to be threathened by more dominant species. Bullfrogs, for example, are dangerous as they prey on smaller frogs and even small birds! It can sometimes take a while for frogs to move into your garden so be patient!
- Create piles of leaves, rocks, logs and garden debris
This will allow frogs to hide and create a great place for them to find food.
- Avoid using chemicals in the garden
Frogs breathe through their skin and are sensitive to their immediate surroundings. This means that any chemicals used in your garden (slug pellets, weed killer etc.) will discourage frogs from taking up residence there.
