Once Jack had vacated the greenhouse, I got down to some serious potting on. I picked up this pot, which had been lying on its side, to find a beautiful baby toad inside..... all grubby brown from probably burying himself in the dirt and with gorgeous bronze-tinted rings round his eyes. It made my day to see him because there were lots of frogs and toads in our previous garden, and we hadn't seen any at this one..... until this little fella turned up.
Yeah I know you're not daft..... but....
To give you an idea of what size he is, the circumference of the pot (at the lowest point) is 6 inches (15 cm) and the diameter is just 2 inches (5 cm). I would compare him to the size of a peach stone! I put the pot carefully back, so he could settle down again. I'm not surprised he likes it in our greenhouse, as I'm always finding snails and slugs on the pots..... and it's not watertight either so there's always an air of dampness. It's a wonder I get any plants to grow in there at all.
The almost-empty bag of compost the pot is sitting on, is one I brought in from the patio. As you can see, it's sodden wet after being left out in the rain for days. There's also the remains of straw that had been in the pot that Jack used to shelter in overnight. I never have been a tidy gardener, just the way the wildlife and I like it.
Well that was a good find. Just as well you were raising a sparrow and not a heron.
ReplyDeleteThe toad is a great find, as far as I'm aware I've never seen any evidence of toads in my garden but your find as inspired me to look on the first dry day we get especially under the log piles.
ReplyDeleteLol, too true Adrian! :O)
ReplyDeleteHe's so sweet David. :) I'm sure there must be toads in your garden!
You know the famous adage Lesley.
ReplyDeleteA toad in the pot is worth a bird in the hand.(or something like that)
Wilflife benefits from "messt gardens". I hate these sterile manicured gardens with awful lights......that's not what its all about, surely. A neighbour 2 doors down has a garden like that and you don't see any of mine or next doors spuggies in there. Good taste our little Jacks and Jills, i reckon.
Er...um... never heard that one John. :O)
ReplyDeleteI know all about lights. lol Our next-door-neighbours at our old house had so many lights in their garden that it was like a helicopter landing pad! We needed black-out curtains to enable us to sleep. :O) Wind chimes is another of my pet hates, especially on windy nights when they're close to the bedroom window! Then a family moved into the house on the other side of us, installed a hot tub on the patio with fairy lights all over - messing about in the hot tub with alcohlic beverages went on into the small hours. Maybe I'm just turning into an old fuddy-duddy that should move into the middle of nowhere! lol
He looks like some sort of Camo-toad Lesley?!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he turns green when he steps into the grass?!!
Lol, yes Greenfingers. At the moment, he resembles that pile of slush next to him. :D
ReplyDelete