Lucky Toad

[Geoff F]

I was digging out my old compost pit today and noticed something move beside my feet - a toad. I was working a bit carefully because I have found them in there previously.

Put it in a corner which I won't be disturbing and sprinkled a bit of earth over the top. Hopefully, if it stays put it will be safe.

A few years ago, one spent the winter inside my greenhouse. Once again, I left it in a corner but it kept moving around during mild spells so I had to be careful where I was walking.

[Phoebe]

Hi Geoff, I must admit at this time of year I never dig out or disturb compost purely because the wildlife will have made a winter home in places like that. I do hope your Toad will find another suitable site!

[ron1863]

Gardeners need to be careful when digging as toads seem to hibernate in funny places. I was digging up Iris roots last year and found a couple hibernating amongst the bulbs.

[gleditsa]

Not half as lucky as one I found when making some alterations to our pond some while ago,
I was lifting the pond edging slabs to rebuild the pond edge wall when I uncovered a large toad calmly sitting in a small depression among the soil 2 or 3 inches down,
there was no way it could have got in there after the pond was originally made as both the slabs and edging wall were cemented firmly in place on all sides,
It must have been there at least 5 years, as that was when the pond was first made!!

I have no idea how it managed to survive all that time without food and the air supply must have been very limited to say the least,

I’m pleased to say that it was installed in a purpose built “toad hall” of spare rocks left over from the rebuilding of the pond wall, and was seen regularly afterwards in the garden after its lucky escape

[Geoff F]

I can only think that you had a 'Builder Toad' and it took him 5 years to return and finish the job!

If you have a wildlife friendly garden it is always difficult to do any substantial amounts of maintenance or alterations without disturbing something. In the winter, creatures are hibernating or hiding from the worst of the weather; then suddenly, it's spring and the birds are nesting.

[gleditsa]

Originally Posted by Geoff F

I can only think that you had a 'Builder Toad' and it took him 5 years to return and finish the job!

If you have a wildlife friendly garden it is always difficult to do any substantial amounts of maintenance or alterations without disturbing something. In the winter, creatures are hibernating or hiding from the worst of the weather; then suddenly, it's spring and the birds are nesting.

thats the strange thing about this toad, he did not just come back, he had been interred under the slabs for about 5 years,
if we had not decided to alter that end of the pond then i dont know how much longer he would have survived there, as there was no possible entry or exit from where he was found, due to the stone wall and capping slabs being cemented firmly in place, with no gaps at all,

lucky just is not the right word for him,

[RED]

It may be that the toad wandered in when it was a toadlet, either looking for shelter or a meal. I saw on a program, or read about it somewhere, that a mummified toad was found inside a rock that only had a tiny opening. Presumably it got too big eating whatever crawled inside and couldn't get out again.
Trying to find information on it, I came across a few examples of this, there's one in Brighton Museum mummified inside a nodule of flint.


Just read about two who were liberated, one in Aus and one in the uk, from inside stones / cracks etc and they both died within minutes of freedom

[Geoff F]

Possibly the stress and vibrations from being released proved fatal.

Went back to carefully dig out a bit more today and found another toad, which scampered away unharmed. So I will leave the area for a bit longer.