Backyard Amphibians

We need amphibians!

Frogs and toads are great backyard neighbors. They benefit our gardens, ecosystems, and moods. But they are disappearing from landscapes across the world, even in Iowa. Pollution and destruction of water bodies, pesticides, and prairie/forest removalcontribute to declining amphibian populations.

Fortunately, you can help keep incredible animals around. This page is dedicated to understanding amphibian awesomeness - including their needs and how to help.

What do frogs and toads bring to my yard?

Other than general cuteness, frogs and toads are beneficial in many ways:

Pest control. Save your skin and your garden. Flies, mosquitos, pill bugs, slugs, and snails are all on the menu. Anything that will fit in a frog/toad mouth is fair game.

Water and air quality. Amphibians are senstitive to air and water quality because their skin can absorb gas and water - along with dissolved chemicals. Amphibians in your yard means clean air and water.

Indicator species. Amphibians are "indicator species". Their because they are sensitive to environmental changes, their presence indicates that an ecosystem is healthy.

Backyard diversity. indicator species can signal animal diversity. Amphibians survive by eating a variety of insects, smaller amphibians, reptiles, or even mammals. They also attract larger animals that prey on them - like other amphibians, birds, reptiles, and mammals.

Ambiance. If you have used the nature mix on a sound machine, you know the frog calls are incorporated. Why? Because these sounds are soothing: they help people relax, fall asleep, or connect with nature.

What do frogs and toads need?

There are a few things that all amphibians (and reptiles!) need. You already have some of these things in your yard.

Sunlight. The sun provides amphibians with vital nutrients, a day/night cycle, and heat.

Ultraviolet light provides amphibians with vitamin D3, which is necessary for their bodies to use calcium.
Amphibians are "ectotherms". They use their environment to regulate their body temperatures by moving between warm and cool spots.

Shelter. Brush piles, bushes, large leaves, logs, and leaf piles give amphibians cool spots to regulate temperature and protection from predators.

Water. All animals need water. Amphibians can absorb water through their skin instead of drinking it. Many of Iowa's frog species can dry out very quickly if the humidity is low and they do not have easy access to water. Many amphibians lay their eggs in water; their young frequently live in water as larvae!

Food. All living things also need food. For amphibians like frogs and toads, this usually means an ample supply of insects.

What can I do?

It doesn't take much to provide urban space for reptiles. These super-easy steps will help you turn your backyard, or even balcony, into an amphibian oasis!

Avoid chemical sprays. Pesticides and lawn treatments can fatally build up in amphibian bodies through skin absorption and by ingesting slow, poisoned insects.

Rethink your landscape. You don't have to sacrifice beauty for wildlife: choose both. Utilize permaculture concepts - create beautiful fences with brush piles or logs, add stump gardens, use native species. The options are endless!

Mow less. Tall grasses help retain soil moisture and provide shelter from predators and the sun. Mower blades can also injure or kill hiding amphibians, or squash their burrows. Choose a section of your yard to leave long, or go with some no-mow ornamental or native grasses!

Plant natives. Iowa's amphibians are adapted to plants that are native to this region. Trees, flowers, and grasses attract yummy insects, provide shelter, and are generally less work.

Supervise pets. Pet cats and dogs take a surprising toll on amphibians. What a pet sees as a fun, crunchy, squeaky toy is actually an amphibian in distress. Keeping pets indoors or confining their outdoor excursions to certain areas of the yard helps tremendously.

Add water and shelter. It doesn't have to be a huge, fancy pond, or an expensive, store-bought toad house. Continue reading for fast, easy, and enjoyable ways to install shelter and water for amphibians!

Water Features

Materials

Small mud tub

River rocks or pea gravel (optional)

Plants

Sticks and leaves

This water tub is behind a shed, under a volunteer mulberry tree. This design used: stick piles for an entrance ramp and shelter; duckweed for hiding; a stump for an exit or basking spot. Lavender and hostess will be planted around the tub.

Directions

Find a quiet, shady spot near shelter. Place your tub here.
Cover the bottom with rocks (rinse if necessary) or with leaves and sticks.
Add entrance and exit ramps using sticks, rocks, or plants.
Place plants in and around the water. Frogs use these to lay eggs, sit on, or hide in.
Fill the tub with water. Rainwater is best, if you can wait for it!

A paint tray was placed in a developing prairie for this water feature. Sticks were piled around the tray for shelter. The slope of the tray automatically provides and entrance and exit ramp.

Here, a spare tub was put into the ground in a developing prairie. Sticks were added for an exit ramp. Prairie plants will grow around the tub, providing shelter.

Toad Houses

Materials

Terracotta pot

Plant tray (optional)

Rocks (optional)

Sticks and leaves (optional)

Sticks can be used to prop up the toad house or to hide part of the entrance for a semi-buried house.

Directions

Decorate your pot as desired. Leave it plain or get creative. Paint it! Glue on rocks, flat marbles, or fake gems! Cover with stickers! The toads won't care.
Find a quiet, shady spot. Place the pot here.
Flip the pot upside down. Use a rock or sticks to prop up one side of the pot.
OR
Place the pot on its side. Bury 1/2 to 1/3 of it in the ground.
Place a shallow water dish nearby. The plant tray works great!

These are 4" terracotta pots. Iowa's adult toads range from 1 to 4" long. Most are 2-3". Don't be afraid to go smaller - baby toads are out there too!

Upcycle old, broken mugs and ceramics or excess drainage pipes.

Frog Tubes

Materials

Directions

PVC pipe

1-1/2" to 3"

2' to 5' long

PVC pipe joint (optional)

PVC pipe cap (Method 1)

Drill (Method 1)

Plant tray (Method 2)

Decorate your pipe and any caps. Get creative - the frogs won't care!
Select a quiet spot for your tube: a tree or post (Method 1) or a shady spot on the ground (Method 2).

Decorate your pip as desired. Get creative - the frogs won't care!
Bury the tube in the ground, so that it stands up - 6" should work.
(Optional) Top with a PVC joint.
Place a shallow water dish nearby.

Method 1

Cap one end of a pipe. This is the bottom. Drill a 1/4" drainage hole 1" from the cap. A little water raises humidity. Too much water makes a water tube.
(Optional) Top with a PVC joint.
Attach the tube to a tree or fence post.

Method 2

Acrylic pens make tubes easy to decorate for the whole family.

Combine all ideas on this sheet to make a full habitat! Frog and toad real estate is water-adjacent.

Pictured are two 3" diameter pipes and one 1.5" diameter pipe. All are 2' long and buried in the ground 4" to 8".