Johnson: Toads handy during bug season

They’re back.

link Sharna Johnson

Yep, toad days are here again.

Just because you don’t have significant or numerous bodies of water doesn’t mean you don’t have toads, and a lot of them — in fact they're pretty much an annual occurrence on the High Plains.

During the day you won’t see much of them because they’re smart enough to hide from the hot New Mexico sun. But have no doubt; they are there, waiting in holes and underneath anything that will keep them cool until the sun sinks beneath the horizon.

Then they are everywhere.

If there is a puddle, or even just a spot of mud, they will be there clustered in the middle of it, enjoying the spa-like experience that only rainy nights can give.

They can look a bit like an small army of stone statues — sure, they activate for the hunt and literally spring to life when something buzzes within reach — but the majority of the time they spend sitting and watching.

Which makes it a little spooky to look outside and find them gathered in large groups.

Sometimes dozens at a time, it’s not uncommon to find porches covered with a crowd of them as they sit with their bodies angled up toward house lights throughout the evening, like fans waiting for their favorite rock star to take the stage.

No doubt whoever invented Frogger must have been struck with inspiration while driving on a dark New Mexico road some long-ago summer night, an activity that can present a challenge of compassion for those with soft hearts and rolling tires.

It certainly leaves one in wonder as to why they feel the need to cross the road, or for that matter, sit in the middle of it, yet there they are, completely unavoidable and doomed to be squished.

They also don’t have the brightest of intellects, hopping into garages, sheds and other dark — but waterless and food free — locations where they become trapped, shrivel and die.

Thankfully, other than the cringe and horrible feeling that hits when they get squished, hit with the lawn mower or have to be swept from the garage, they don’t really cause harm and to the contrary, come in handy when bug season is in full swing. A fact especially true in years such as this when a gentle winter followed by heavy spring rains translates to an abundance of bugs.

Like a croaking, warty army, they go to work at night to rid us of the pests that torment us humans, and the fatter they get — they can eat two to three times their body weight in one night — the more you know they’re working hard.

While it may be impossible to avoid making a few pancakes with the car during the height of toad season, there are a couple of things that can be done to help toads out and influence where they will take up residence.

• Make toad houses from upside-down flowerpots or buckets with a hole for a door so they can hide and burrow underneath.

• Think of the toads and when possible, avoid using insecticides.

• Create a backyard pond to attract and direct toad populations to a designated area of the yard.

• Walk before mowing to flush toads out of danger areas.

It can be disturbing to find an army of toads on the porch but when the small puddles left by a few drops of rain are enough to spawn clouds of mosquitoes, letting the toads pitch in and help out might not be such a bad idea.

Sharna Johnson is a writer who is always searching for ponies. You can reach her at:

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