Shovel Foot Toads

[Clarencen]

Well they are not quite as numerous as in the 2nd plague, but since all the rain this season we have numerous small toads. I believe they are the Plains Shovel foot.

The past few years there has been a decline in the numbers of the other toads and frogs here, have only seen a very few of the regular toads that we had years back, We don't hear them at night anymore. Tadpoles of the regula toad would take most of the summer to mature. While we have had lots of rain there have not been many pools of water standiing for long. The regular toads would have not had enough time to have matured.

The shovel foot burries itself deap in the ground when it is dry. It may live underground fot 2 or more years, then when we have enough rain it will come to the surface. They must have a much shorter time span to lay eggs develope and become toads. Anyone else notice this or have any coments. You people who live in the desert areas probaly are more familiar with this.

 

[Faster horses]

We never see toads at the place in Montana, but we do hear them.
At the SD house, we do see them and hear them at night.
I have no idea what kind they are tho.

Interesting that they can live that long buried when it is dry.
You know they have to be somewhere to come out when it
rains. Thanks, Clarence.

 

[PureCountry]

There are frogs and toads everywhere here this year, not sure of varieties, but there are lots. Even out in hay fields, pastures, I mean everywhere. I've seen toads the size of golf balls and some the size of grapefruit. What a year.

 

[Faster horses]

We had that problem last year, only it was MICE!! :x
At least the toads won't try to get into the house! :?
The stores sold out of mice traps and bait many times...they
don't seem to be around like last year, thank goodness.
We had VOLES that burrowed under the snow and ate
the bark off the trees and bushes...it was a year for rodents.
I'll take toads any day!

 

[mrj]

We seem to have a bumper crop of toads, and even frogs here this year. May be the shovel foot variety, as I find them under most anything I overturn around the yard, often partially buried in damp soil during the heat of the day. They sure can look grumpy at being disturbed from their cool napping place! Rather like a person awakened too soon from a nap!!!

We have had years with almost none, and years with many, for a long time. Got a bit worried when the EcoFreako's were claiming doom and gloom and toads gone forever from 'polution' a few years ago, but won't make that mistake again. My guess is, such critters will outlast mortals on this earth. I sure do need and cherish critters which eat flies and other nuisances!

mrj

 

[JF Ranch]

We've had lots of little toads, as usual this year, but then we live next to a mosquito infested pond. They are thick around the house... both toads and mosquitos.

Number three son, a Junior in college, and I were checking mills early this summer when we noticed a puddle full of tadpoles. I mentioned that if he were much younger he would want to take them home to watch them become toads. He smiled and said, "I sorta want to now!" We had an empty jar with a lid, so he scooped up 10 of them and put them in an old aquarium at home.

I had not seen this since I was a boy. What an interesting thing to see, as they developed legs and became toads. We checked online to learn what to feed them. Guess what tadpoles like to eat? Boiled lettuce!

The boys all got a kick out of me calling them pollywogs. They had never heard that before.

 

[Faster horses]

Oh, JF ranch, that reminds me of an incident in my childhood.
We lived in a remote area of Wyoming, a town of about 300.
Some of us kids decided to take a little hike one day, only
it turned out to be not so little. We had a blast, tho. But the folks
in town got worried about us and set out to find us in cars, of
course. We happened to find a resevoir full of pollywogs in all
stages. We had gathered them up, mud and all, into anything
we could find that would hold water even a little bit. The adults
found us and gave us a good scolding. I remember one family
had a new station wagon, you know, the one with the wooden
exterior. It was FANCY. Well, we got in it and one of the kids
dropped their can of pollywogs and the mud and the slime and
the squirrly pollywogs went all over the inside of that nice car... :shock:

 

[pups and bucks]

loaded up with frogs around here.....about one every square yard.a frog massacare no matter what you are doing mowing baling,driving down the road..........a few toad too,seldom have them here.

 

[gcreekrch]

loaded up with frogs around here.....about one every square yard.a frog massacare no matter what you are doing mowing baling,driving down the road..........a few toad too,seldom have them here.

I remember them being quite thick when we were at your Dad's old place at Leonard back in '71. Don't think I've seen that many frogs before or since.

 

[pups and bucks]

loaded up with frogs around here.....about one every square yard.a frog massacare no matter what you are doing mowing baling,driving down the road..........a few toad too,seldom have them here.

I remember them being quite thick when we were at your Dad's old place at Leonard back in '71. Don't think I've seen that many frogs before or since.

a few years back....when the frogs weren't quite so plentyful,just before freezeup the frogs would bunch up along the house and in the wood pile....frogs stacked on frogs,kinda like an alfred hitchcock movie,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,when it did freeze up there wasn't a frog to be found.Funny how they knew when to scatter.[/quote]