"Last summer I never saw my toad - or toads. I have never been sure whether it is the same or several. He usually startles me hopping out from under a plant when I am weeding the border, and I think he lives in the rock wall. If toads are really so valuable I think something should be done to attract them, but I have never known what they like."

Elizabeth Lawrence
Beautiful at All Seasons

I have had the opportunity to see some toads sitting on the edge of the pond this past week and can't seem to get close enough for a picture without scaring them. All I have for evidence is a body print! I had a hunch Miss Lawrence has had experience with all forms of creatures in her garden. The excerpt above is from a Charlotte Observer article dated February 5, 1961. Forty-nine years later, the toads are still busy. Just in the past week, I've seen a long black snake, the toads, and a few chipmunks drinking from the pool while perching on Miss Lawrence's frog fountain. There are always creatures in the garden!

Thanks for visiting,
Katie Mullen
2009 Marco Polo Stufano Fellow