Toads or Where are the Characters from "The Wind in the Willows" When You Need Them?

One thing that truly amazes me about growing my own food is how dramatically my interests have changed. Four years ago, bugs certainly weren't an interest now they are because bugs play a vital part in gardening. Same goes for worms, weeds, compost, compost tea, etc., the list goes on and on and on. I am evolving, much like the very plants I try to grow. Like roots sinking deeper in the fertile soil, I soak up information and facts trying to establish a firm hold in the earth of knowledge. Like branches stretching up towards the sun for nutrients and growth, I reach for experience and new understanding. Thank goodness this is all figurative, not literal otherwise I'd probably start looking like a stumpy tree.

Hence my interest in toads (shudder). Turns out toads (shudder) are great things to have in gardens for pest control. Toads eat bugs, lots and lots of bugs. You'll notice I'm not shuddering anymore, anything that eats destructive bugs is OK in my books. Growing up, I have read my share of cute little critter books, so the thought of toads hopping happily throughout my garden, munching bugs on their way through did hold its charm once I got over the shuddering reflex anytime the word 'toad' was mentioned.

I made two toad houses, one at either end of the garden. They are made out of strategically piled rocks in shady parts. I lined small stones on the ground for a floor. I do try to keep the area damp. Problem is the toad houses remain toadless (another thing evolving is my use of the English language). I know the DaM Farm has toads, I have seen them. They like to live under my front porch. The question now is how do I get those toads out to the garden? "Build it and They will Come" is not working here at all. I have played with the idea with catching a couple of them and putting them in the garden. But I don't know, if they wanted to be in the garden, I'd think they'd be there. I don't want to put them in there only to have them die or be hunted down. I was hoping the scarecrow I put up will encourage the toads to come since there are no crows around. I don't know if crows eat toads, I'm just guessing. So far, it hasn't worked. The toads seem to prefer wood shelters, the front porch, for example. I am planning to replace the flat rock roofs with leftover wooden boards from the chicken coop project. May-be that will help. How my interests have changed. I wonder if putting "toads" as an interest on my resume would be a good thing ...probably not, it would just "croak" my chances.