Backyard Buddies: Hopping Mad Frogs

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01 Mar 2011

Since the summer rains and floods, frog numbers have seen a big hop. Many frog species need an abundant water supply to reproduce, so they're jumping at the chance this March to breed and feed while the water remains. Make your backyard toadally frog friendly with a few tips from Backyard Buddies.

Backyard Buddies is a free program run by Australia's Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife. You can get a monthly Backyard Buddies email (B-mail) with tips to make your backyard inviting and safe for native animals. Get a free frog pond factsheet and become a Buddy at www.backyardbuddies.net.au.

Take some time to pond-er our frogs. They're ribbiting!

Foundation CEO Leonie Gale is encouraging "Location" residents to help out our native frogs. "Frogs are quick to move into areas that have experienced heavy rains and will be around soon after floods subside. During March, tadpoles will be growing legs and leaving their puddles and ponds."

"You'll be able to tell what types of frogs are around by the sounds they make," said Ms Gale.

"Spotted Marsh Frogs have different accents, depending on where they are from. In the north of their range their 'kuk-kuk-kuk' calls sound like a machine gun, whereas in the south they make a single, sharp 'click'."

"If you hear the loud screeching of seagulls but can't see a bird in sight, the culprit is actually a Desert Tree Frog. It gets more bizarre - this frog has such translucent skin that you can see its internal organs. Around Cooktown they have a metallic bronze or gold sheen to them."

"Desert Tree Frogs can be found in groups squeezed inside tree hollows. They do this to conserve water, and each frog spends a bit of time at the centre of the cluster where it is warm and moist," said Ms Gale.

"You may not even have to go looking for frogs. The Green Tree Frog may invite himself into your house, pool or even mail box - anywhere cool or moist. These frogs love to make their 'brawk, brawk, brawk' calls from our drainpipes and tanks, as these locations act like a microphone to amplify their call."

"Green Tree Frogs are also great hunters that can even catch and eat small bats as they fly out of their roosts." Ms Gale said.

"Frogs are great to have in backyards as they eat up spiders, mosquitoes, flies and other insects. Some frogs can even eat snakes." Ms Gale said. "Frogs in the garden are a sign that the environment is healthy."

"You can also help out these amazing creatures by not using chemicals or pesticides in your garden, as frogs absorb air and water through their skin. Keep your pets away from areas where frogs live, and leave leaf litter and rocks around your garden for them to shelter amongst."

Share your photos of frogs and other native animals on www.facebook.com/backyardbuddies for a chance to win a copy of 'A Field Guide to Frogs of Australia'.

What else can you do to be a backyard buddy to frogs?

Place a branch or a bit of rope at the edge of your swimming pool or pond so that frogs can get out of the water easily
Avoid using pesticides or chemicals in your garden as they could run into water used by frogs
Build a frog pond
Keep your ponds free of exotic fish like goldfish, gambusia and other species as they eat frog's eggs and tadpoles
Put out a solar powered night light - this will attract insects that frogs love to eat
Keep your cat or dog away from known frog areas
Leave tadpoles where you find them - it's illegal to remove them
Plant locally native shrubs and trees and place rocks around ponds

Backyard Buddies: Hopping Mad Frogs

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