As a young girl growing up in Lawrence when Kasold Drive was on the fringe of town, I used to see hundreds of frogs. There are many reasons that I’m seeing fewer frogs where they were once abundant: human infringement onto their territory, pollution and an increase in the UV rays due to the thinning ozone layer are making them disappear.

Frogs and toads can be useful to a garden, playing a key role in squelching the pest population; these little guys are mainly carnivores preying on insects. Amphibians are animals that live on land, but they still need water to mate and to deposit their eggs. Their larvae are known as tadpoles, polliwogs or pollywogs. In their tadpole stage, it is essential that they live in water, and rather than resembling their parents, they look more like fish with a tail and no arms or legs. Amphibians derive a comfortable temperature from their surroundings. They must move to a cooler or warmer location to regulate this, which is why you’ll often see an amphibian sunning himself on a rock or gurgling on a ledge in a pond.

The skin of frogs, toads and salamanders is permeable, leaving them highly susceptible to weed and pest killers, detergents and other chemicals we deposit into the environment. Amphibians breathe in part and absorb water through their skin, making it easy for contaminants to enter their bodies. Their skin always needs to be moist; if they dry out, they die.

Frogs and toads aren't seen as often as they used to be in Lawrence. The amphibians are susceptible to pollutants dumped in the water.

Joseph Collins knows amphibians; he retired from Kansas University’s Natural History Museum in 1997 and is now an adjunct herpetologist for the Kansas Biological Survey. He assists with the Kansas Anuran Monitoring Program, a volunteer program coordinated by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. The program is to help determine the status and population trends of Kansas’ 22 species of frogs and toads.

“Having frogs and toads is number one a sign of a healthy environment – the water is good,” Collins says. “Number two, it is very pleasant to hear the sounds of frogs calling. Number three, after a long, cold, Lawrence winter, they are the first sign of spring’s arrival. And number four, the world would be a frightening place without frogs. I mean, look at Kermit.”

Disappearing Act

Collins says it is difficult to assess the decline of frogs and toads.

“Nobody is surveying the abundance of frogs,” he says. “If someone is studying a frog, they may notice a decline. The Crawfish Frog for instance, was abundant in the Baker Wetlands through the 1950s, but because someone – and it is unknown who – dug trenches all around the wetlands, that was the beginning of the end of the Crawfish Frog. The last time I saw one was in 1978. It had been hit by a car and was brought into my office.”

A pond or water garden will attract frogs and toads.

Collins refers to a book titled “Silent Springs,” by Rachel Carson, about the effects of chemicals on the environment.

“‘Silent Springs’ are happening in some parts of our country,” he says. “Western Pennsylvania, for instance – my colleagues and I cannot find chorus frogs in that area any longer. In Michigan, the same problem is occurring with chorus frogs. One species in Kansas, the northern cricket frog, used to be prevalent in the Western quarter of the state, and now they are very difficult to find.”

Luring amphibians

Both Collins and Susan Davis, owner of Water’s Edge, 847 Ind., agree that the best way to attract frogs and toads to the garden is through a water source. You also may opt to choose nonchemical weed controls whenever possible, like mulch, spading, hoeing and pulling weeds. Another idea is to stop fertilizing your lawn. Instead, leave the grass clippings after you mow to decompose; this is equal to fertilizing your lawn once or twice a year. Keep in mind there are also organic fertilizers on the market. If you do build a pond, ensure that the edges are not too steep so that the amphibians can get in and out easily. Go to the wetlands and discover the gorgeous native plants that you can mimic in your backyard. Provide places for these critters to hide and spots in which to sunbathe. If you build a water garden, they will come.

“Frogs are important in the water garden,” Davis says. “The tadpoles graze on algae on the sides of the pond; the adult frogs eat bugs in the garden. They are a part of the ‘biology of the pond,’ whether it is in natural ponds or in our backyard water gardens.

“For me, the greatest contribution they make is putting smiles on our faces and laughter in our hearts as they sing and jump in the pond,” she says. “During the summer, you can find lots of tadpoles and frogs in their various stages of life and metamorphosis in the yard. It is fascinating.”