“Our Friends the Toads,” Friend, Apr. 1987, 30–31
Our Friends the Toads
Bees and butterflies help flowers and vegetables grow.
Ladybugs eat aphids. Earthworms feed the soil and give it air. To a gardener, they are “good bugs.”
Toads protect themselves with a liquid that can hurt. If you touch them, wear gloves and be very gentle.
To a gardener, slugs, grasshoppers, caterpillars, and aphids are “bad bugs.” They eat plants.
Gardeners like toads, too, because a toad eats about 100 “bad bugs” a day. Female toads are much larger than male toads.
During the day toads sleep in a place where the hot sun won’t reach them.
In wintertime toads stay warm by sleeping deep underground.
Toads gather near ponds in springtime. They need lots of water.
Illustrated by Robyn S. Officer