Creating a frog-friendly garden is a rewarding and low-maintenance hobby that is becoming increasingly popular. Not only is it much easier than keeping frogs as captive pets, but it also provides a safe habitat for a variety of other wildlife, not just frogs. To learn how to create a frog-friendly garden and attract frogs to your backyard, read on!
The South African National Biodiversity Institute recommends several steps to attract frogs to your garden. First, avoid using pesticides and instead use indigenous plants that attract butterflies and other interesting insects, which will in turn attract frogs. Second, create hiding places for frogs through rock features or large tree stumps and dense bushes. Third, install a water feature or pond to provide a suitable aquatic environment for the frogs. Finally, set up solar-powered lights near your pond to attract the insects that frogs feed on.
You may be tempted to catch frogs from the wild and introduce them to your garden, but this is not recommended. It is illegal to catch and remove adult frogs, and even if you do, the frogs will not stay in your garden. You can, however, try collecting tadpoles from your neighbourhood and introducing them to your pond. Just make sure you only introduce local frogs to your pond, as introducing non-indigenous frogs can disrupt the local ecosystem.
Creating a frog-friendly garden is a great way to help protect our local frog populations while also restoring harmony to our often stressful urban environments. By following the advice outlined above, you can provide a safe and welcoming habitat for indigenous frogs in your backyard.