Yesterday I was pulling weeds and noticed several dead toads in the basement window wells. There have always been toads there since we moved to this Munson Township house in 2012. No pesticides or even salt on pathways have been used since we moved in. Is it a virus? Something else? I thought I should at least report it in case Geauga Parks keeps track of this sort of thing happening in the county. Should I dispose of the toads in the trash or is there any agency that would want to examine them to detect disease, etc.?
Naturalist's Response
This sounds like a job for a toad ladder!
[From “Frog And Toad Together,” by Arnold Lobel]
The toads in your photos look pretty desiccated, but otherwise show no obvious signs of injury. This could be due to some illness, but the likeliest culprit seems to be entrapment.
Window wells, drains and similar structures have a tendency to become “toad traps.” The toads hop along on a damp night, tumble into the pit, and then struggle to climb back up the smooth walls.
(Unlike most frogs, toads aren’t very good at hopping much further than their body length; it’s easy for them to fall into holes from which they can’t escape.)
Luckily, plenty of other people have confronted this problem before: you just need a toad ladder!
However, if you do a web search for “toad ramp” or “frog ladder,” you will see some really, really cute things.
Be sure to show us what you make! (And, if you feel like taking the scientific approach, you could add ladders to some of your window wells and leave some without, then check both for trapped toads after a rainy night and see what you find!)
-Naturalist Chris Mentrek
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