My Toad in Shining Armor

You may have a frog that turns into a prince, but I have a toad that is already my hero, and I don’t even have to kiss him.
Yesterday, the rain subsided long enough for me to get outside and do a bit of gardening. To my delight, I found this toad. I shall call him Tristan Toad and he shall be the protector of my garden kingdom.

So what qualifies this handsome toad as a hero? One of his favorite snack foods is slugs. He thinks they are like potato chips and he can’t eat just one.

Yes, I hear dozens of gardeners sighing with envy at my luck in having attracted this very wonderful champion to my garden.

I have been trying to attract a toad to my yard for years. They are fantastic animals. They can eat literally hundreds of harmful pests (i.e. slugs) a day!

I believe Tristan Toad is an American toad, which is similar to a Fowler’s toad. Both are native to Ohio. They look very similar but the visible difference is that the American toad has belly spots and the Fowler’s toad does not.

My best hope is that Tristan Toad has his eye on some lovely damsel toad who he will rescue and bring back here for a joyous wedding followed by much toad sex which will produce little pollywogs. And this little happy toad family can eat slugs until happily ever after.

But that is just my hope. For right now, I am perfectly happy with Tristan Toad building up his strength with many, many good meals made of slugs.