Common Garden Frogs

Different species of frogs can live and breed in your garden, especially if there is a water source where the amphibians can keep their skin moist. Numerous characteristics define the different species of frogs, based upon their size, the sound they make and the markings on their skin. A population of frogs in your garden will greatly reduce the number of insects and give your garden an exotic feel, though it may also attract snakes.

  1. Common Frog

    • The common frog (also known as the pool frog, edible frog and marsh frog) lives in most regions where frogs are found, primarily because they must spend very little time in the water, allowing them to live farther from water from most of the other members of their species. These frogs feed on snails and slugs, which are prevalent in most gardens. Common frogs also return to the pond in which they were born year after year, so if your garden has a pond, chances are you will find this species, identified by its brown or olive-green coloring.

    Bullfrog

    • The largest frog in the United States, the bullfrog eats a large number of insects as well as algae. In gardens with ponds, they effectively keep the pond clean and help control insect, primarily mosquito, populations. Bullfrogs can grow up to 6 inches in diameter, getting progressively rounder the more they eat; very large bullfrogs have been known to consume fish and birds. They are known best for their deep call, which the males do at night to attract females or ward off predators. The males also fight for territory, showing off their yellow bellies to prove who is bigger and tougher. These wrestling matches for territory often turn intense and violent, with some males endng up injured or even killed.

    Green Frogs

    • The small, relatively delicate frogs known as green frogs live on garden plants near sources of water. Green frogs feed on insects and very small fish or insect larvae in the water. These frogs can grow up to 4 inches in length and move quickly enough to hunt as well as avoid predators, which range from larger fish to cats to other frogs.

      Green frogs, notes the University of Rhode Island website, "are commonly confused with bullfrogs during all stages of their life. As small tadpoles, the two species are difficult to impossible to separate but older tadpoles can be distinguished on close inspection." In the summer, the chirping of green frogs makes a high-pitched twangy sound. When they become too cold, green frogs will often turn black.