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Frogs In The Backyardby Steve Homewood Frogs are disappearing from our backyards for many reasons, mainly from lack of water in which to breed, the overuse of pesticides and the cultivation of gardens. In order to bring those night sounds back we need to improve the habitat, by returning it to a more frog friendly state. Ways in which you can do this are
Your frog pond needs to be in an area that is in 50% shade for most of the day. Build it away from the house, and particularly away from your neighbours' house, as male calling frogs can be quite noisy. The area should be well mulched and protected from the larger birds by offering plenty of groundcover. The pond can be fibreglass, plastic, an old bath or sink, in fact any container as long as it is not metal as this could leach into the water. It needs to have a deep part at least 40cm deep - I prefer around 50cm. This keeps parts of the pond cooler in the summer months. My preference is to use Builders Plastic (3x2 metres) bought from a hardware store to create an inexpensive freeform pool. First double over the plastic and lay it on the ground to get the general idea of size and shape, and then dig a hole that is at least 50cm deep at one end with a shelf that is say 10cm deep, that leaves an overlap of around 15cm. You do not need to be exact, as an excess will be hidden under the mulch. The other end should gradually slope to the edge, this gives breeding areas and ease of access for the ground frogs. The sides will remain steep, flatten the bottom of your pond and remove anything sharp, line the base of the pond with sand, soil that has been sieved or even newspapers to avoid the lining being punctured. Next put in your doubled plastic, let the excess hang over the edges, fill with tapwater and let the weight of the water mould the plastic into the shape of the pond. The water will be suitable for frogs in five days once the chlorine in the water has dissipated. Normally there is no need to trim the plastic, just start 'landscaping' your pool by burying the plastic under the mulched edges, rocks, rotting logs driftwood etc. Native grasses can be planted through holes pierced in the plastic or amongst the rocks. The whole area around your pond should then be mulched. The same effect can be created when using other materials to create your frog haven, the possibilities are endless, whether you use the liner or a ready-made pond.
Frogs need plenty of mulched areas, shade, no pesticides, areas of humidity, (rotting logs, compost heap) and natural cover. Pets, especially cats, should be discouraged from visiting the area.
There are a variety of native plants that can be utilised for your pond. Some of these are Kangaroo Grass, Sedge, Lomandra and Melastoma affine. Avoid noxious weeds like salvinia and water lettuce that are often found in our waterways and seek native or compatible plants from your local nursery. You can also experiment with garden plants in soil in a pot in the water. This can be very successful.
A good conditioned pond will not attract mosquitoes, but if you are worried, introduce our native Pacific Blue Eyes, 6 to 8 would be enough, and they breed very well. They are available from good pet shops. Do not collect fish from creeks as they will probably eat your tadpoles and do not introduce Goldfish.
When your pool is new and the plants and waterweed are not yet established, you can feed your frogs and tadpoles twice a week on boiled lettuce, which can be frozen in ice-cube containers for easy storage. Later with all the leaf matter that falls into your pond from the overhead vegetation, tadpoles should have sufficient food to sustain them.
Cane toads can be deterred from your pond by providing a well-mulched environment, with plenty of ground cover around the pond; they do not appear to like pushing through vegetation, grasses etc. Good luck with your pond. Experiment, try different shapes and plants, maybe put in some low-level lighting and a small irrigation system to keep the area damp. Remember we are trying to attract frogs to our garden. Do not bring in tadpoles from another location as this has proven to be detrimental to the local frog populations.
Queensland Frog Society
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