THE WASHINGTON POST – It’s not easy being green, as a famous frog once sang – and in recent decades, just surviving has become even harder for frogs and other amphibians.
They are experiencing a 3.79 per cent average annual decline in the United States (US), according to the US Geological Survey, which notes on its website that “if this rate remains unchanged, some species will disappear from half of the habitats they occupy in about 20 years.” Those habitats – particularly the wetlands frogs use for breeding – are disappearing, too, according to Interim Biology Department Chair Mike Benard at Case Western Reserve University whose research focuses on amphibian ecology.
Making space for frogs supports local biodiversity and can provide natural insect control for your property. So how can the average homeowner help?
One way is to create a frog pond in your backyard, whether it’s with an unused kiddie pool, PVC pipes hammered into the ground or an in-ground water feature. Here are some suggestions from Benard and other experts to help you get started.
WHAT DO FROGS NEED IN A POND?
Any kind of impervious vessel filled with rainwater will provide frogs with a place where they can lay eggs and tadpoles can grow. So yes, a few containers of water will work just as well, but a frog pond has the added benefit of being an aesthetically pleasing and serene addition to your outdoor space, said Austin-based garden designer Amy Hovis who has built several frog ponds for clients.
“It’s just hard to see a frog and not feel some joy,” she said, adding that knowing frogs are eating mosquitoes and other “unbeneficial insects is also satisfying”.
The length, width and depth of the pond doesn’t matter too much – Benard has seen some tree frogs and toads breed in 60-inch-wide plastic kiddie pools – but determining how large you want to make the pond and where it will go will ensure you purchase a pond liner that will fit.
A frog pond needs to offer shelter options where frogs can hide from predators and the sun.
They don’t have to be elaborate or custom-built, like the multilevel frog chateau empire created by the man behind the TikTok account @unknowndazza. Hovis likes to use three- or four-foot-wide boulders in and around the perimeter of a pond, but overturned or partially buried pots, unraked leaves and pieces of untreated wood can also serve as frog shelters.
Although you may like to relax in hot water, not all frogs do.
But co-founder and executive director of the Amphibian Foundation in Atlanta Mark Mandica said there’s no need to obsessively regulate the pond temperature, because “temperature extremes remain consistent with nature, and the amphibians can deal with the extreme colds and hots, and even freezing temperatures successfully”.
Lighting does matter, though; different species may prefer dappled sun, full sun or full shade. Do some research on your local frog populations to make sure you’re creating an environment that will help them thrive.
Aquatic plants also provide shelter and shade, creating different temperature zones in the water, and they help ensure the pond has the varying depths frogs need. Having multiple shallow exit points is crucial, according to Hovis, and is “the most important difference between a regular water feature and a frog pond”.
“A water feature with straight, deep sides can be extremely dangerous for a frog,” she added.
“They might jump in, not be able to get out and die.”
Whether you want to help specific species or just want to broadly support frogs, reach out to your local extension school or natural resources agency, which can tell you which aquatic plants are best.
Once you buy those plants, follow the spacing and depth instructions provided by the nursery, said Mandica, to create an appropriately deep pond for frogs.
If you use lawn care chemicals or have other concerns about water quality, you should conduct regular water tests, Mandica said. But otherwise, strive to “let nature manage it as much as possible”, he suggested.
And while standing water might seem like a magnet for mosquitoes, Mandica said that shouldn’t be a problem because adult frogs “consume tonnes of mosquitoes each year.” A “healthy amphibian habitat leads to much smaller or non-existent mosquito populations”, he added.
WHAT CAN I DO BEYOND A POND?
A pond can aid many frogs, but some species only breed in ephemeral or vernal pools, which are seasonal, natural water basins without the predators that would be in longer-lasting waters.
“If someone has an area on their property that’s already kind of swampy, you might want to not dig that out, that might already be in an ephemeral wetland,” said Mandica.
If that’s what you have, try not to interfere with the ecosystem, even when it’s dry.
The Penn State Extension recommended not adding or removing plants, wildlife or natural debris, and said to avoid activities that could reduce water quality or disrupt the natural flow of water.
That includes cutting down trees, applying fertilisers that could run off into the pool or using off-road vehicles nearby.
Even if you don’t have an ephemeral pool or the desire to build out a pond, you can still support nearby wetlands by preserving adjacent the woodland that sit at a slightly higher elevation around wetlands.
“Although a wetland itself may not be altered, without the surrounding upland habitat the wetland will not continue to be productive and species such as reptiles and amphibians will eventually be lost,” said Mandica. Even just leaving leaf litter, logs or rocks around your property helps provide a similar habitat, as does replacing lawn space with native plants and trees, he added.
Before you pick up a shovel or hire someone, contact your state’s natural resources agency, a conservation group or the local extension programme.
THINK BEFORE YOU LEAP
Those organisations will have the expertise to guide you through local concerns – such as invasive species that might want to colonise a pond – that could impact your project. They can also help make sure you aren’t disturbing other types of appropriate frog habitats.
It’s also courteous to check in with neighbours before installing a frog pond, Benard said.
Frogs can be exceedingly noisy.
While he gets plenty of e-mails from people who want to make their yards more amphibian-friendly, he said, “occasionally, I also get e-mails from people who have just moved into a new area and they want to know how to get the frogs to shut up in their backyard”. – Bridget Reed Morawski
