Toad Houses

Yesterday, my husband decided to close the front window because it was hot and we thought it would be a good idea to turn on the air conditioning. As he was closing the front window, he looked down into the garden and noticed a snake.. The snake was burrowing it's head into the loosened dirt of our freshly planted hydrangea. He yelled out to me "Do snakes dig holes?". I replied, " I think they do live in holes.." . Just as I replied, he witnessed the snake pluck a sleeping toad from under the dirt by the foot and attempt to quickly coil around the little guy. Now, I know, nature can be cruel, but there was somethng gratifying about being in that moment and being the hero for the toad. My husband (who is as sensitive as I am) ran out and shooed the snake away from it's unlucky victim. The snake slithered away hungry on to another destination for lunch. This time I hope he caught a big spider instead.. :) My husband took the toad and placed him in the shade near the garage. The poor little guy was fast asleep and woke up to not only a snake trying to eat him, but then a large human creature lifting him 5 feet into the air and moving him to a new location. The poor little toad must have been in shock! He was a good size toad too, about the size of a large walnut.

I thought about it all day. And I kept thinking about toad houses and how if I had one for the little toads in the garden, would it be a cozy home or a death trap? Would it be a slither in lunch spot for hungry snakes or a safe haven for toads. I think I will leave nature to nature and let the toads find their own homes. I don't think I could live with myself if I set up a buffet for snakes and didn't know it.

I am glad my husband was there to save him, but understand that nature must be allowed to do it's thing, no matter how cruel it may seem. But for one little toad, yesterday was his lucky day :)