A visitor comes a callin’

Gallery

Posted on by

Adult toad courtesy of wikipedia

Yesterday was a gorgeous day here with temperatures close to 70 degrees (21C). My canna lilies needed to be divided and repotted for the growing season. I keep them in my windowless garage over the winter. That gives them a chance to “hibernate” but not freeze and I don’t have to go through the work of cleaning off the tubers.

I bought fresh potting soil. After I set up in my garage with a plastic sheet covering the floor and several different pots, I started the job.

I was working with a ginormous bag of potting soil when something moved inside the bag. It was too big to be an insect. I jumped back! I didn’t see enough to determine what it was. Snake, super big creepy crawly? None of those are my favorites.

It scared me. I cautiously sifted out the soil to see if I could find the hitchhiker. It took a while, but I found a tiny toad, perfectly formed and very cute.

My immediate thought was to name it, build it a home and feed it. (I know you are shocked!) The toad had different ideas. I put him outside in my front pachysandra bed.

I finished my work on the lilies. I wanted to give the toad some water but when I went out with my sprinkling can, it was gone. It had followed its own destiny. I hope the big birds don’t find it, but it will have to fend for itself.

You can’t top an afternoon like that on the first super warm day of the year! Stay healthy little fella!

48 thoughts on “A visitor comes a callin’”

  3. In our previous house we had toads and I, of course, bought a toad abode so that some would have a place to live. I’ve never gotten one in a bag of potting soil and now feel like I’ve been deprived of my door prize.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Well the place where you got the potting soil would have charged you more if they’d known the bag contained an extra goodie! HA! Glad he is out of the bag and on his own though. Many years ago we had a “yard toad” who lived in a hole in the mulch around our azaleas in front of our porch. We’d often find him up on the porch and our then cat Sammy made friends with him. The toad would hop off the porch onto the sidewalk and Sam would follow right behind him…..giving him a nudge so he’d hop…..and on and on and on. It was hilarious and a fun memory of our boy Sam.

    Hugs, Pam

    Liked by 1 person

    • We had more frogs than toads at our last home. Jake, our indoor/outdoor cat would walk by them without interacting. He killed chipmunks and birds so I’m not sure why he had no interest in frogs. They are not good for cats to eat and maybe he instinctively knew that.

      Like

  5. Aw, at least you freed him from the bag! I worry about our chipmunks here with chicken hawks and big birds everywhere! I wish all life were vegetarians. It would be a much kinder world. With spring comes yardwork. But worth it! Enjoy the nice weather.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. I had the same scary adventure.. I thought it was a big leaf and touched it… screamed like an air raid siren as I saw what it was… and then the sh… hit the fan… the dogs came and touched it too… one pill is not 32 bucks at the vet… what a fab day…

    Liked by 1 person

  8. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a toad, just a frog. And I would jump back a mile if I something moved inside the potting soil bag! When I was a kid, the neighborhood kids and I went to the creek and fished out tadpoles and brought them home in big pickle or jelly jars for pets. My mom made me keep the jar in the basement and said “when it sprouts legs, it goes back where it came from!”

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Very cool! Good job with the toad. We once found a possum in the bag of dog food in the garage. Possum was just pigging out and chillin’. Could not have cared less about the humans freaking out. After that, we got a giant plastic container for the dog food.

    Liked by 1 person

    • For years I would dump out the plants in the fall, wash the tubers and store in a cool place over the winter. I’d lose some as they dried out and died. Two years ago I didn’t have time so I put the two pots in the garage as is and cut the greens off. I watered about once a month and let them be. At the beginning of March, the plants were pushing up new leaves so I took them out of the pots, hacked them apart and repotted. They were ahead of anything planted after the last frost. It worked so well I did it again. I had three big pots and splitting them, I now have 7. All of them have some green, They are now in my basement by sliding doors so they get sunlight and I’ll water once a week until I can put them outside.

      Liked by 1 person

  17. It must have been alarming but what a wonderful surprise! I wonder how long the little guy had been in there. I hope he is hopping around enjoying his new-found freedom.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. I would have jumped sky high finding that toad! But I guess with all your previous pond experience you’re used to the little guys. He was lucky you found him.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I jumped sky high! I was afraid it was a small garter snake which terrifies me although they are harmless. It was the not knowing. In that minute after I found him, I really missed my pond.

      Liked by 1 person

  19. Sounds like a very exciting repotting experience. We used to have a baby skink or two find their way in the house when Mom brought in her plants in the autumn. My job was to catch the cat and hold him out the door while prying his jaws open and letting the skink run free.

    I wish your tiny toad the best of luck!

    Liked by 1 person

  20. I would probably still be screaming a day later. I don’t like bugs of any kind and I don’t like things that crawl on the ground nor jump. I am amazed at the kindness you had for this little guy. I bet the cats would have had a lot of fun playing with it if you had taken it indoors!

    Liked by 1 person

    • He came close to being potted up. I keep the lilies in my basement by the sliding doors until the weather warms up. Cats don’t like frogs, at least not to eat. They are fond of mousie visitors though.

      Like

Comments are closed.