Creating a Frog Habitat Garden
Creating
a frog-friendly garden is easy, fun and environmentally beneficial.
Frogs are fascinating creatures and providing habitat for them
in your garden will be beneficial to the frogs and enjoyable to
you.
Your
frog pond may be as simple as an old plastic tub sunken halfway
into the ground or as elaborate as a specially designed concrete
pool complete with waterfall, a boggy reed area at one end and
a profusion of native plants strategically landscaped along the
edge.
You
will need to consider the following things :
Water
:
Just
about all frogs need water for breeding - the depth does vary
from species to species , with some needing shallow water, others
deep. Some frogs prefer still water and some running water.
The acidity and temperature of water are important factors for
some species. There has to be sufficient water present long
enough for the tadpoles to complete their development. Having
permanent water in your garden will achieve more than just provide
a promising breeding site. When the weather is warm or the wind
is blowing strongly, frogs need a place to replenish their moisture
content in their bodies. Dehydration kills frogs quickly. Providing
a well sheltered body of water will also attract other wildlife.
Types
of ponds :
Backyard
ponds are vital for the survival of frogs in built up areas.
Consider the following alternatives for a pond :
An old porcelain bathtub
Children’s plastic wading pool
Large, wide plastic bin or laundry trough sunk halfway
in the ground
A plastic baby’s bath
A hole dug into the ground and lined with plastic or PVC
pond liner
Pre-cast fibreglass pond shells
Concrete
Large clay pots.
Shelter
:
Frogs
require shelter during the day. This may be in cracks and crevices
in rocks and logs, under leaf litter, in sand or gravel, or
on the undersides of shady leaves.
Pond
location :
A pond should be positioned so that roughly two-thirds of the
surface is in shade. Some sunshine is necessary for the growth
of algae and other aquatic vegetation but too much will result
in
decreased water quality.
Avoid placing the pond directly under trees, especially those
that drop a lot of leaves. Trees that host roosting flying fox
should also be avoided. Too much nutrient can be a problem!
Keep the pond away from any known poisonous plans, such as pines
and oleanders. Use only rainwater or tap water that has been
allowed 2-3 days for chlorine evaporation to occur to fill your
pond.
Plants
:
Vegetation plays a very important role in the life cycle of
frogs. To ensure your frog pond represents a natural frog habitat
it is important to choose a mixture of floating plants, shrubs
and soft ferns and groundcovers. Local native plants are best.
Native Australian species tend to use less water, being naturally
adapted to our landscape. Rainforest plants, ferns and dense
ground hugging shrubbery will be lower maintenance and the frogs
will love it. Remember the optimum frog garden is one of wide
diversity - in nature, diversity means survival!
Frog
ponds :
When planning the design for your frog pond, keep the following
in mind :
Floating vegetation provides shelter for tadpoles and
perches for emerging frogs
Overhanging vegetation drops material into the pond for
food supply (and nutrients)
Vegetation provides shade for temperature control
Surrounding vegetation attracts insects for food for you
frogs
Vegetation surrounding you pond provides hiding places
for your frogs.
Mosquitoes will breed in your pond but keep their numbers
down with native fish such as Blue Eyes or Rainbow Fish.
Make sure your frog pond is Child safe. Either with a
fence or placing mesh over the surface of the pond.
Food
:
The idea of actually attracting insects to the garden seems
alien to many of us - however insects play a vital role in the
ecosystem. They are major pollinators and a food source for
a variety of creatures. Birds, frogs and lizards are excellent
insect controllers and are far more efficient than pesticides,
which affect everything in the food chain.
A thoughtfully frog-scaped garden with a mulched garden with
plenty of flowering plants will provide more than enough insect
food for a substantial population of frogs. An outdoor night
light positioned close to the grounds will attract moths, beetles
and other prey.
While they are young, tadpoles usually eat algae and other plant
matter, so consider this as well.
Chemicals
:
Do
not use any chemicals in your garden. Eighty percent of fertilisers
added to farms and gardens ends up in streams. Pesticides kill
the birds and predatory insects that protect our plants. All
these chemicals cause problems for frogs.
Enjoy!
For
further information :
Sunshine
Coast Frog Club - PO Box 269, Nambour, Qld 4560.
Brisbane
Frog Society - PO Box 7017, East Brisbane, 4169.
RANA
(Restoring Australian Native Amphibia) - 42 Poinsettia St, Inala,
4077.
Greening Australia - PO Box 9868, Brisbane 4001.
Frog
Friendly Water Plants
:
Which plants are best for encouraging frogs to
stay in your pond ?
Some points to remember :
Plant native species - many exotics have serious weed
potential!
Provide a wide diversity of vegetation
Use plants of different heights
Smooth, strappy leaves are easy for frogs to climb
Frogs like the shady spaces under broad-leafed foliage.
Dense
and wild vegetation will hide your frogs and fish from predators.
Otherwise your pond or dam may become a fast food joint for
the birds!
The
following is a selection of water-loving plants suitable for the
backyard frog haven they will also attract other wildlife such
as insects, birds and small native mammals.
| FREE
FLOATING :
Azolla pinnata - Azolla fern
Spiodela punctata - Common Duckweed
SEMI
SUBMERGED :
Linospadix monostachys - Walking Stick Palm
Lobelia alata - Swamp Lobelia
Lomandra hysterix - Creek Matrush
Ludwigia octovalvis - Willow Primrose
Lygodium microphyllum - Climbing Maiden Hair Fern
Melastoma affine - Blue Tongue
Persicaria decipiers - Knot Weeds
Phyilydrum lanuginosum - Wooly Frogmouth
Pollia rispata - Pollia
Ranunculus inundatus - Swamp Buttercup
Rununculus lappaceus - Hairy Buttercup
Viola hederacea - Ivy Leaved Violet |
FLOATING
ATTACHED :
Alocasia brisbanensis - Cunjevoi
Alpinia caerulea - Blue Fruited Ginger
Banksia robur - Swamp Banksia
Blechum indicum - Bungwall Fern
Callistemon pachyphyllus - Wallum Bottlebrush
Carex appressa - Tall Sedge
Christella dentata - Binung
Cordyline rubra - Red Fruited Palm Lily
Elatostema reticulatum - Rainforest Spinach
Helmholtzia glaberrima - Mountain Stream Lily
Hydrocotyle pedicellosa - Penny Wort
Juncus usitatus - Common Sedge
SUBMERGED
PLANTS :
Aponogeton elongatus - Queensland Lace Plant
Blyxa aubertii - Blyxa
Hydrilla verticillata - Hydrilla
Potamogeton crispus - Curly Pond Weed.
Potamogeton perfoliatus - Clasped Pondweed
Vallisneria spiralis - Eel Weed |
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