From a Tuscan Hillside: Bufo bufo pays us a visit

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Bufo bufo pays us a visit

Toad in a Hole

This morning as I stepped outside to do some work in the garden I was confronted by a toad sitting on the cast iron bars of a drain.

Possibly he was searching for water. So I decided to offer him some.

I also offered him a fig leaf for privacy since we were all gawking at him shamelessly.

He was soon settling in.

Later, the shade shifted and he moved away from the sun.

Although toads are nocturnal perhaps this one was caught out in his search for water.

Toads are a little ugly, to be sure, and the Bufo bufo has poison glands which can irritate our mucous membranes, but they are very useful in the garden, since they devour slugs and snails as well as all sorts of insects.

Make yourself at home, Bufo bufo!

(Added September 15, 2015):
Today by accident (I was stirring the sludge in the drain) I sighted Mr Bufo Budo again. He actually seems to be living in the drain at present. I hope he can climb out of there.

Now he really is a toad in a hole.

1 comment:

AgricolaJuly 11, 2015 at 12:52 PM
Wonderful! The fig leaf, in particular, is pure genius!
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