we used to have lots of these guys around the garden. i was watching something about frog populations in general declining and realized i cant remember the last time i saw a toad. they used to be everywhere. anyone notice this as well ? im thinking chemicals are maybe getting them but my bee populations doing well and its been 3 years since i used any weed killer here.
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They are doing great here.
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im going to check the ponds this summer for leopard frogs. i know the spring peepers are still around as we here them here in the fire pond in spring. ive heard a few bull frogs out there as well.
I used to spend nights with friends, collecting buckets of them. Now i take my daughter “toad hunting” occasionally during the warmer months but they are not nearly as plentiful.
I also grew up in the sticks so the enviroment favored them more than my semi suburban home. Between lack of habitat and greater automotive traffic im not surprised that there are far less. But with their breeding and growth rates im less worried about seeing less toads than boxer turtles. And they have yet to experience a gray tree frog, not for lack of trying.
In either case the world feels deminished.
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Box turtles have definitely decreased here. Tons of aquatic turtles. And Gophers are going strong.
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im pretty rural and have a wetland area bordering my property to the north and a fire pond across the street. we should have lots of them here esp. with al my plantings surrounded by wood chips.. snapping turtles have taken off here. never saw one until 20 years ago. now i see them everywhere around water.
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The number of toad frogs, as well as voles and mice, around my house and garden and out buildings seems to fluctuate with the snake population. It’s hard to prove, but I think the chicken snakes, black snakes and garter snakes are way better at rodent control than my cats and commercial rat poison.
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rename your thread to lack of toads - pine cones - firefly insert ?
For me its been a lack of pine cones. Just 3 years ago I remember all the trees being loaded but when I went to pick some the last couple years there have been hardly any. I might find some up in the mountains but at sea level in NJ its sparse.
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Pine cone production can be weird. 2-3, even 10 years between crops for some.
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ya- i assumed it was due to the lake being 4 foot lower…. fewer salamanders, tree frogs… well fewer amphibians in general.
There seem to be fewer toads in Iowa. 20 years ago, I could easily go outside and cath a bucket of them. Now I get excited to see one or two when I’m outside.
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Still lots here. When I was loading woodchips in the dump trailer to mulch the orchard I’d always see a bunch of them. I’m always surprised they don’t get hurt when they get scooped up with the chips. Last summer I was seeing Garter snakes in the orchard, that was a first. I’m using herbicide in the rows, so I don’t think that’s hurting them.
Lots of fireflies and crickets here…haven’t seen many toads, frogs, or snakes, but there’s some around. We had a garter snake hang around frequently a few years ago, but my wife got it with the riding mower one day. I should probably look up little things I can add to the yard edges to encourage their presence more.
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Recently saw a mini documentary about the story of the African clawed frog that had been used in the medical industry for decades but unknowingly carries a fungus that is incredibly lethal to other amphibians. Has been credited for global native amphibian declines and even extinctions
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ive had exactly 1 frog in my yard ever. hopefully adding a pond helps bring some guys to the yard 
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Yes, I’m seeing a dramatic decline of all amphibian species near our home in Vermont. We are located close to industrial agriculture that is using a great and greater amount of herbicides and pesticides. I also think we have seen a decline due to low water levels going into the winter and sub zero temperatures killing amphibians that haven’t safely buried themselves below the frost line. This link will give more information. Decline in amphibian populations - Wikipedia
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We have lots of Cuban tree frogs. Where I grew up, there was tons of frogs and toads, here not so much. Its not too surprising, we are pretty far from any natural water source and have lots of feral cats and other predators. Good gopher tortoise population though we had two babies and two big ones on the property last year.
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I miss toads. I spent five years of my childhood in New Hampshire, and there were toads everywhere. It was great fun to catch them and play with them gently. I loved them.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen toads here in Utah. I’ve heard there are toads here, but I’ve never seen them, even when I’m walking by a major river. Maybe I should go hiking in the mountains and look. That’s likely where they are.
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Cuban tree frogs eat other amphibians (and anything they can fit in their mouths)
They are pretty bad
My buddy has a permit to capture invasives and sell them to pet stores to be sold out of Florida.
It was SO much fun tagging along.
He goes all over the southern half of Florida and it is a very significant part of his income
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Pretty abundant around here. My granddaughter catches them and calls them Timmy, then lets them go (big timmy, little timmy, tiny timmy, timmy, timmy, timmy…etc).
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