Just a Little Toady

I have a visitor.  My family has owned this property for over 30 yrs. and I have never seen this visitor on the property, but he's here.  I hope he finds a wife (or she a husband) and make many babies.  I like them hopping through my garden eating the bugs.  Be a gluten.  Eat all you want.

This is an organic pesticide. They eat 2-3 times their weight in bugs per day.  My toad's is a bufo americanus, i.e common toad in Iowa.  Toads hunt for insects primarily at night, so it was nice that I got a chance to meet my garden friend.  Rumor has it that if you half bury a clay pot on it's side and keep the area moist and shady, a toad will shelter there.  They are not fond of the hot sun ( I don't blame then, neither am I), so the moist little get-away makes them happy.  I suppose it is an amphibian's version of air conditioning.

The Kentucky Wonder pole beans are turning the back fence into a hedge.  The little white blossoms are promising a fence full of green beans.  These beans have been popular since 1864.  I suppose something pleasant needed to come out of the Civil War.  (Actually my favorite quote from that year was,"They couldn't hit an elephant from this distance!"   Quite the last words of one General John Sedwick.)  Not only was General Sedwick full of beans, hopefully my hedge o' Kentucky Wonder will be also!

 Notice the brown grass in the background?  Iowa is in the throws of a drought.  My little fairy garden alive with fire flys and toads is watered regularly, so it is just soaking up the hot weather with open arms.  But the neighbors corn field has started to turn brown.  That is not good at all. So if you're inclined, say a prayer for my neighbors and actually the whole state.