How to Naturally Attract Frogs (Yard & Garden)

I loved having toads in our yard as a kid and the fact that my parents watered the grass often was one way they were attracted and stuck around. Although we did not have a pond at the time, there were many toads that roamed our yard to my childhood delight.

Generally, you can attract aquatic frogs by installing an appropriately built frog-friendly pond. You could attract tree frogs by installing the pond close to a forested area. And you can attract toads by creating humid shelters in your garden or window wells.

Before diving in, watch the video below to learn about the three main types of frogs and their differences. Knowing which kinds of frogs you would like to attract to your yard will help you know what you should do to make the area appealing to them. You can also learn the difference between frogs and toads here.

3 Types of Frogs You Should Know

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Let’s dive into how you can attract frogs to your yard or garden starting with aquatic frogs, then tree frogs, and finally toads. We will also cover some tips to help accommodate and keep them there.

How to Attract Aquatic Frogs to Your Yard

An excellent way to attract aquatic frogs to your yard is by installing a frog-friendly pond that has a slope, little movement, lots of vegetation, few predators and is located mostly in shade.

Aquatic frogs (many examples here) like to sit in water to breathe and drink all day. Most are passive hunters and eat anything that crosses their path and can fit in their mouths. A small frog pond that is about 1 m² or about 10 ft² can attract two or three frogs. The larger the pond the more frogs it could attract.

My parents installed a frog pond in their yard a few years ago and I created this detailed guide about how to create a frog-friendly pond that can naturally attract frogs like theirs did. Green Frogs are fairly easy to naturally attract to a yard with an adapted frog pond.

Check out our guide for all the details you need to attract aquatic frogs to your yard.

How to Attract Tree Frogs to Your Yard

If you would like to attract tree frogs in your backyard, you should have a dense enough forested area with access to water to accommodate them. Installing a frog-friendly pond or water features near trees can help attract tree frogs to your yard.

Many tree frogs live in trees but require water as much as aquatic frogs or toads. Therefore, you will often find tree frogs in forests near a source of water like a pond or stream. You can re-create this kind of environment by installing a frog-friendly pond or water feature in the shade and near trees in your yard.

If you do not have trees in your yard it will be much harder to attract arboreal frogs since trees are an essential part of their environment. If you are willing to put in the financial investment, you could buy a dozen trees and install a water feature to attract frogs, but it may take a few years for them to come naturally.

How to Attract Toads to Your Garden

You can attract toads to your backyard or garden if it has the right environment for them including water, food, and shelter. Regularly water your garden and add small pools for toads. Attract toad food, notably bugs, by using compost in your garden and create small shelters for toads with rocks.

Toads can be excellent allies in backyards and gardens to control pests and mice. Toads are attracted to places with ideal supplies of water, food, and shelter for them to thrive.

You can attract toads to your garden by following some of these tips:

Add a water feature
Add solar lights to your garden
Create a pile of leaves or weeds in a shaded area
Let the grass grow in some areas
Compost your food
Keep the compost near your garden
Use compost in your garden
Create a toad house

Not only is compost excellent for your garden, but it also attracts bugs which in turn attracts toads. Toads are most active at night and adding solar lights to your garden is an excellent way to attract moths that they can eat. A water feature is essential since toads will not stick around your yard without water.

Learn more about how to attract toads to your garden in our dedicated guide.

How to Attract Toads to a Window Well

When I was a kid I was lucky enough to get to keep a wild pet toad in my backyard in a window well. The toad fell in and I accommodated it so it could leave and roam the yard at its own will.

Here are some things you can do to keep a wild pet toad:

Add a ramp out the window well
Add rocks, sticks, leaves, and structures so the toad can hide
Add clean water every day

Before adopting a wild pet toad as your “free-range frog” be sure to check with local regulations that you can legally do so. Some frogs are endangered and others are invasive, and depending on your jurisdiction there may be some rules and regulations you need to follow.

We found some phone numbers you can call for more information in this article on our blog. That article also includes more information on how to keep a wild toad as an outdoor pet (CTNF).

Things to Keep The Frogs Coming Back

To help the frogs and toads feel comfortable and want to stick around, you want to be sure there are very few to no predators in their environment. Your cat or dog are predators to frogs and they can get very sick if they ingest a frog. It’s best to keep your pets on a leash or to keep them away from any frogs in your yard.

Avoid using chemicals or pesticides in your yard or garden since they can deter or kill frogs and toads. Learn about what things will keep frogs away from your yard in our detailed guide so you can implement the opposite and ensure you are creating an ideal environment for toads and frogs. Frogs could leave, get eaten, or die if the ideal conditions are not met.

Be sure to check out our guides on how to attract frogs to specific locations:

Questions Related to Attracting Frogs

What Attracts Frogs to Your House? Three main things attract frogs to your house: water, food, and shelter. Frogs can be attracted to any water features, ponds, or pools. They will be interested in your property if there are bugs and areas to hide like piles of leaves or tall grass.

How do I Encourage Frogs Into my Garden? You can attract frogs to your garden by including water, food, and shelter. Regularly water your garden and add small pools for frogs. Attract bugs by using compost in your garden and create small shelters for toads with rocks, leaves, and bark.

How Do You Attract Green Tree Frogs? You can attract Green Tree Frogs by creating the ideal habitat for them including water, food, and shelter. Add a water feature to your yard near trees to provide a steady source of water. Leave lights on at night to attract bugs that they can eat.