Here at the nursery we often have frogs and toads in our poly tunnels amongst the plants. We even have a resident newt in the propagation tunnel that is often found when plants or plug trays are moved. We relocate the newt to an area, still in the tunnel, where the plants are not going to be disturbed for a while.

Many of you may think that because you do not have a pond or body of water in your garden then you won’t have frogs and toads. It is true they do need water for breeding in but they will happily live away from water the rest of the year, as our little friends in the tunnels will attest to.

They do need to be in a damp environment so you will often find them in the dense undergrowth where the environment will be cool and damp. If you wish to encourage frogs and toads into your garden without building a pond then a log pile is a good start, it not only provides cover for them but also attracts the invertebrate species that they will feed on.

They are beneficial to have in your garden even though they may make you jump once in a while if you disturb their resting place whilst you are gardening. They will feed on bugs, beetles, grasshoppers, slugs and a variety of other pests helping to protect your plants.