Amphibians in the Garden

Frogs, toads, newts and salamanders are all amphibians that you might find in your garden. If you are lucky.

California red-legged frog (Greg Schechter) CC BY 2.0

Of course, luck has very little to do with creating a healthy environment. It takes fact based knowledge and a little effort. With just a few slight modifications to your garden, you can create a habitat that attracts these beneficial creatures and encourages them to stay. But why would you want to?

Benefits provided by amphibians

Newts (a type of salamander) are one of the few animals that love to eat slugs. For that reason alone, I am happy to create an amphibian-friendly habitat. Most amphibians are insectivores, which means they will reduce the number of snails, beetles, worms, millipedes, and whatever else they can catch and swallow. While still in their aquatic stage, amphibians will also eat mosquito larvae, along with other insect eggs, water snails, and even small fish.

What are amphibians?

Amphibians are cold-blooded, and many of them start out in water before moving to land. In fact, the word ‘amphibian’ comes to us from the Ancient Greek amphibious, which means ‘both kinds of life’. Amphibians evolved from fish approximately 370 million years ago.

Developmental stages of the common toad (CLauter) CC BY-SA 3.0

Most of us are familiar with the way frog eggs hatch in water and are called tadpoles. Those tadpoles then lose their gills and tails to become adult frogs and toads. Baby salamanders and many other amphibians also start out in water. At this early stage, they are called larvae. Then, they generally go through some sort of metamorphosis to reach their adult size and shape, and to start breathe using lungs. [Did you know that amphibians also breathe through their skin? For some species, skin breathing is their only form of respiration.] Amphibians often have glands in their skin that release toxins, as a defense mechanism. For this reason, it is a good idea to not handle your garden amphibians - they probably wouldn’t like it anyway.

​Amphibians come in a wide range of colors and sizes. The smallest amphibian, from New Guinea, is only 1/3 of an inch long, while the largest, the Chinese giant salamander, can reach nearly 6 feet in length! [There used to be an even larger one, from Brazil, that was 30 feet long.] Modern amphibians are shy creatures, so it is likely that you will never see them, regardless of their size. What you may find, however, is their shed skin (unless it gets eaten, which is common). Unlike mammals, who shed skin as flakes, amphibians and many reptiles shed their skin as a single piece.

​Local amphibians

World’s smallest amphibian sitting on a dime (Rittmeyer EN, et al) CC BY 2.5

There are approximately 7,000 species and 3 orders of amphibians in the world: frogs and toads (Anura), salamanders (Urodela), and blindworms, or caecilians (Apoda).

Each region has its own native amphibian population. The first step to improving the biodiversity of your garden is to learn which amphibians are native to your area. In San Jose, California, we have a wide variety of amphibians, just looking for a home:

Frogs and toads 

• Western toad (Anaxyrus boreas) 
• Western spadefoot (Spea hammondii)
• California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii)
• Foothill yellow-legged frog (R. boylii)
• Sierran treefrog, aka Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris sierra)

While not native to California, the common American bullfrog (R. catesbeiana) and the uncommon African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) are now both found here. Also, that distinction between smooth-skinned frogs and warty toads has no scientific basis. ​

Western toad (Chris Brown) Public Domain

Salamanders and newts

• Arboreal salamander (Aneides lugubris)
• California giant salamander (Dicamptodon ensatus)
• California newt (Taricha torosa)
• California slender salamander (Batrachoseps attenuatus)
• California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense)
• Ensatina, aka yellow-eyed Ensatina (Ensatina eschscholtzii xanthoptica)
• Rough-skinned newt (T. granulosa)
• Red-bellied newt (T. rivularis)
• Santa Cruz black salamander (A. flavipunctatus niger)
• Santa Cruz long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum)
• Speckled black salamander (A. flavipunctatus flavipunctatus)

Rough-skinned newt (Jsayre64) CC BY-SA 3.0

How to attract amphibians

Most amphibians start out in or near water, so a pond or similar water feature is the best way to attract amphibians to your landscape. The water should be at least 20 inches deep, and provide both sunny and shady areas, with sloping edges. You will also want to incorporate floating, submerged, and plants that grow from the bottom of your pond to above its surface. The ideal ratio of plants to open water is 1:1. Unlike your swimming pool, you will want algae to grow in your pond, as it is an important food source and it generates oxygen for tadpoles and larvae.

Arboreal salamander (Chris Brown) Public Domain

If a pond is completely out of the question, you can still maintain a moist area that includes rotting logs and leaf litter. Brush and rock piles, a stone wall, and basking areas will also help lure these beneficial creatures to your landscape.

Incorporating native plants will attract other natives, providing both food and family for your amphibians. Under no circumstances should you release a nonnative amphibian into your garden. This is how ecological disasters often start.

Other ways you can help your local amphibians include allowing your lawn to grow a little taller, to provide safe travel corridors, reduce or eliminate your use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and snail pellets, keep your cat indoors, and monitor your dog. Also, be on the lookout for hidden amphibians when using a lawnmower or weedwacker.

Indicator species

Amphibians are very sensitive to toxins in the environment. This is why they are considered an indicator species. If you have amphibians in your garden, then you know you have created a healthy place. Similar to the recent decline in insect populations, amphibians are currently facing a mass extinction. 

Recent studies tell us that, before the 1500s, the expected rate of amphibian extinction would be 1 to 11 species lost over a 500-year period. Since the 1500s, 35 to 130 species of amphibian have become extinct. Since 1980, 9 to 122 more amphibian species have become extinct, with an additional 1,896 species in “imminent danger of extinction”. [The numbers are ranges because it is very difficult to prove that a species is finally and irrevocably gone.] 

While most mass extinctions span a couple of million years, the current mass extinctions can be measured in centuries and are caused, both directly and indirectly, by us. The current amphibian population crash is attributed to disease, habitat loss, introduced species, pollution, climate change, and pesticide use, though it is not completely understood. Nor do we understand the long term ramifications of this mass extinction. 

The food web and network of life here on Earth is very complex. The loss of amphibians is bound to have serious implications for all of us. Please, do your part to make life possible for amphibians in your garden.