The wildlife has been abundant at our house as usual, which, other than the dozens of hobo spiders that sneak across our living room carpet every night like clockwork, have been very enjoyable. One species never lacking are the American toads that hop their fat, warty bodies around the yard, looking for a meal.
And unlike other species like garter snakes, they are quite harmless and fairly amiable. I’ve never been squeamish around traditionally “creepy” critters and these toads are particularly helpful when it comes to pest control. Anything that eats it’s fair share of pesky insects is welcome around here.
The toads I’m sure bemoan their fate at being caught but the girls have learned to cradle them gently without squeezing. There’s really not much they can do since the toads are all such slow pokes and can’t outrun excited toddlers. After a few minutes of careful observation of the amphibians, they’re
relocated to a bush out of the way of anyone’s footsteps to carry on
their insect control duties.
