Monsoon rains bring out the interesting pests
Intense summer storms are to blame for that annoying loud Spadefoot Toad now croaking and singing its way into your dreams. The large amount of rain is a perfect breeding ground for toads that normally can’t be found.
These toads do more than serenade you at night however. Toads like the Spadefoot Toad also provide a great service and rarely get thanks for it. They prefer the taste of those mosquitoes which can be carrying the west nile virus.
The load singing you may hear at night, is exactly that. A toad singing out his mating call. The reproductive process of these toads is remarkably fast. As puddles and other bodies of water form from the heavy rains, these toads will find their mate after their calls have been answered, the eggs of which will hatch the very next day. Within just a few days there are tadpoles. As the water goes away the tadpoles go through their own changes in an expedited fashion. Sometimes it takes less than a week for the process. Once a tadpole becomes a toad, it will dig deep into the moist ground to find a place to stay damn and cool until the rain come back.
