Re: Slugs

> Does anyone know if toads eat slugs?  My new home/yard is host to many a
> toad and I am wondering about their eating habits.

Indeed they do, Pat.  'Tis why toads are most welcome in my 
garden.  I get extremely excited when I see all the new 
youngsters.   But birds, snakes and others do take their toll on 
the newbies.

For the survivors:  they like lots of good cover.  Be careful of 
thrusting implements into loose soil piles & the like;  they 
love to dig into things like that during the day.  I can hardly 
count the times I have pulled a spadeful of compost from the 
pile and the shovel emerged with a small, startled toad on top.  
:))  Another caution is to set the lawnmower to about 3".  
You'll save the lives of many toads & keep the weeds down at the 
same time.

Also, the males are quite territorial, so if you need to 
relocate one, try to put it somewhere you haven't seen toads 
yet ~ that will avoid a toad battle..  If you have a nice, large 
pile of humus, leaf mold, compost, anything like that sitting on 
the ground, you will have a pile full of toads come hibernation 
time.  They really love that.  Shy of that, if you provide a 
sheltering stack of rocks or broken crockery in a sheltered spot 
in the garden (where the soil is nicely friable, so they can dig 
in), they will happily make it through the winter.

Enjoy!
Jaime
"I have no particular talent. I am merely inquisitive."
 A. Einstein

jknoble@warwick.net
Z6/5, NW NJ

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