It's not always mice...

[coh]

or squirrels or voles.

I was seeing soil disturbances on some of my trees (they have been spending time on my deck, closer to the garage for those cold night trips inside). One tree had a pretty big hole with some roots torn up. I was starting to curse the vermin...you know, mice, voles, chipmunks, the typical beasts. Was planning my revenge, how many traps to set, where to put them.

Then I spotted the actual culprit in one of the pots, which led to a good laugh!





Big toad makes big hole! Still messed up the soil, but hard to stay mad after seeing this. Once the trees are permanently up on the benches, this will no longer be an issue.

 

[eferguson1974]

or squirrels or voles.

I was seeing soil disturbances on some of my trees (they have been spending time on my deck, closer to the garage for those cold night trips inside). One tree had a pretty big hole with some roots torn up. I was starting to curse the vermin...you know, mice, voles, chipmunks, the typical beasts. Was planning my revenge, how many traps to set, where to put them.

Then I spotted the actual culprit in one of the pots, which led to a good laugh!

View attachment 102689

View attachment 102690

Big toad makes big hole! Still messed up the soil, but hard to stay mad after seeing this. Once the trees are permanently up on the benches, this will no longer be an issue.

Look at it this way. Toads eat things that might eat your bonsais. I let'em run around in my house/greenhouse/earthship thing to eat bugs. They live in gaps between the tires. They wouldnt stay if there wasnt something to eat. Yours is the same way. So he is your friend.

 

[sorce]

That's awesome....
I'd leave him a pot with soil on the ground!
And water it!

Sorce

 

[Samantha]

he's kind of cute, too

 

[coh]

Look at it this way. Toads eat things that might eat your bonsais. I let'em run around in my house/greenhouse/earthship thing to eat bugs. They live in gaps between the tires. They wouldnt stay if there wasnt something to eat. Yours is the same way. So he is your friend.

That's awesome....
I'd leave him a pot with soil on the ground!
And water it!
Sorce

My wife keeps potted plants on the deck during the summer...herbs mostly. Last summer there was a big toad that dug up a bunch of her pots, threw most of the soil out of a couple of them. I wonder if this is the same toad! I definitely let them be, though I'd prefer if they did their digging in the ground. It's been pretty dry here for a couple of weeks now, so I suppose the frequently watered pots are more to his liking.

 

[Stickroot]

he's kind of cute, too

Cute and grumpy!

 

[Cmanz]

I had the same thing happen this past winter.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[coh]

He was not thrilled about the pot being moved for the photo, I can say that! A couple of hours later he had moved on...for now.

 

[sorce]

He's trying to hide from that monkey!

Sorce

 

[M. Frary]

He's trying to hide from that monkey!

Sorce

I know I would be nervous about monkeys if I were a toad.

 

[Don Blackmond]

Nice! I had a pair of cardinals make a nest in the upper third of my second nicest big trident maple one year. I was conflicted by what to do, but decided to let them nest, figuring i could fix the damage later. Nothing like seeing a big ole bird's nest filling the interior of a $9,000 tree.... We learned to live with each other, they raised their young and moved on, and it took only minimal effort to fix the tree once the nest was removed. I actually enjoyed it and my tree was not bothered terribly by the process. I get robins trying to do the same, but I'm not willing to host robins....

 

[rockm]

Right now I've got a persistent robin nesting in the nearby woods that has completely destroyed the supporting muck wall around a slab planting of maple. I'd been growing moss on it for a couple of years. The bird has removed all of it and is now tearing into the exposed roots and soil. It's also tearing up the chopped sphagnum moss I've placed on the surface of newly repotted trees, along with new roots underneath the moss.

I wish I could hit the damn thing with a shovel...repeatedly.

 

[coh]

I've had birds of various species nest in trees in my growing bed. Often I don't even notice the nests until the end of the season when the leaves drop. And I'm out there almost every day doing something around the trees, so it amazes me that I don't even notice them most of the time.

Robins use mud to line/build their nests, so that's probably why they're going after the slab muck. We had robins that were reusing the same nest for several years, it was built on top of the spot where the power lines enter the house...under the eave, a nice protected location. It finally blew down during a winter storm and amazingly survived the 15' or so fall intact. Built very well!

 

[VAFisher]

I had this little feller living under one of my pots. I discovered him yesterday morning when I picked a tree up to get a closer look. Under is better than in I guess.

 

[Paradox]

Wow that's just....weird.

 

[coh]

I have to be careful when I move/rotate pots during the summer, as I often find tree frogs hiding underneath. They especially like wooden grow boxes that have slats on the bottom, nice and cool and damp under there.

 

[GrimLore]

I have to be careful when I move/rotate pots during the summer, as I often find tree frogs hiding underneath. They especially like wooden grow boxes that have slats on the bottom, nice and cool and damp under there.

At our old place my Wife half buried old clay pots on their sides. She called them toad caves and had them in various shady spots and under a couple of benches. They actually used them to my surprise and are good bug eaters

Grimmy

 

[coh]

Toad caves, may have to try that this season!

I find toads and frogs in all kinds of interesting places. This one was hiding out in the drain slot of a clay pot a few years ago: