Our Friends the Toads

Bees and butterflies help flowers and vegetables grow.

Ladybugs eat aphids. Earthworms feed the soil and give it air. To a gardener, they are “good bugs.”

Toads protect themselves with a liquid that can hurt. If you touch them, wear gloves and be very gentle.

To a gardener, slugs, grasshoppers, caterpillars, and aphids are “bad bugs.” They eat plants.

Gardeners like toads, too, because a toad eats about 100 “bad bugs” a day. Female toads are much larger than male toads.

During the day toads sleep in a place where the hot sun won’t reach them.

In wintertime toads stay warm by sleeping deep underground.

Toads gather near ponds in springtime. They need lots of water.