Tad has bumpy skin, gold-flecked eyes, short sturdy legs, and the kind of serious little walk that makes Tootie think somebody left a potato with opinions beside Grandma’s flower bed.

Tad is an American Toad. He has dry-looking, bumpy brown skin, a pale belly, squat little legs, and wide eyes that notice movement fast. He is not a frog, even though he began life in water like Chirp and Knossos. Tad spends most of his grown-up life on land, especially near damp soil, leaves, flower beds, shrubs, and places where bugs gather.

One warm evening after a rain, Tootie sees a brown lump beside Grandma’s flower bed.

“Is that a mud rock?” he asks.

Yoshi’s pointy ears twitch. “Rocks do not blink.”

Grandma looks down and smiles. “That is Tad. He is an American Toad.”

Tad takes two slow hops, stops beside a damp leaf, and waits very still.

Tootie stares. “He is thinking.”

Grandma says, “He may be waiting for something smaller than he is to move.”

Tad likes damp places on land. He uses flower beds, leaf litter, low shrubs, garden edges, brushy corners, logs, damp soil, and shady spaces where insects and worms are easier to find. He does not need to live in the creek like Knossos or Chirp, but he does need water nearby when they are time to breed.

Grandma’s yard gives Tad a good mix of places. The flower beds hold bugs. The shrubs hold shade. The leaf litter stays cooler than bare dirt. The creek behind the fence gives him a place to return during breeding season.

Tootie watches Tad disappear beneath a low plant. “Does he live under there?”

Grandma says, “He may rest there today. Toads use little hidden places all over a yard.”

Yoshi watches the leaves settle. “He likes cool ground.”

“That is right,” Grandma says. “Tad needs places that do not dry out too quickly.”

Tad may spend daylight hours tucked under leaves, boards, logs, pots, or thick plants. He becomes more active in the evening, after rain, or when the ground is damp enough for him to move comfortably.

Tad began life in water. His mother laid long strings of eggs in a pond, ditch, flooded low place, creek edge, or another quiet freshwater spot. The eggs looked like tiny black dots inside clear jelly.

When the eggs hatched, Tad was not a toad yet. He was a tadpole. He had a tail, no legs, and gills for breathing underwater. Tadpoles eat algae and tiny plant material while they grow.

Tootie watches Chirp near the creek grass. “Was Tad little like that?”

Grandma says, “He was little, but first he looked more like a tiny swimming comma.”

Yoshi watches the creek ripple. “Then he grew legs?”

“Exactly,” Grandma says. “Back legs first, then front legs.”

As Tad changed, his tail slowly disappeared. His lungs developed, his body shape changed, and he became ready to leave the water. By the time he was a young toad, he looked much more like the bumpy little animal Tootie sees in the flower bed.

Tad eats moving things. He eats ants, beetles, crickets, spiders, caterpillars, worms, slugs, flies, and other small animals he can catch. He does not chew leaves like Loni or drink nectar like Bea. Tad waits, watches, and then snaps his sticky tongue forward when food gets close enough.

One evening, Tad sits beside a damp flower bed while a beetle crawls past.

Tad does not move.

The beetle gets closer.

Snap.

The beetle disappears.

Tootie jumps. “He had a tongue!”

Grandma nods. “A quick one.”

Yoshi watches Tad settle back down. “He waits for dinner to walk over.”

“That is Tad’s style,” Grandma says. “Stillness first. Fast tongue second.”

Tad helps Grandma’s garden by eating many small animals that feed on plants. He is not trying to be a gardener, but he is useful in one.

Tad’s skin looks dry and bumpy, but they are still sensitive. Toads absorb water and air through their skin, so they need clean, damp places and do not do well with soap, lotion, bug spray, fertilizer, oil, or other chemicals on their bodies.

Tootie leans toward Tad. “Can I pet the bumps?”

Grandma says, “No.”

“Tootie,” Yoshi adds.

“I only asked.”

Grandma points toward Tad. “Toads are not toys. Their skin needs to stay clean and damp.”

Tad’s bumps are called warts by some people, but touching a toad will not give people warts. Tad may have glands behind his eyes that release a bitter, irritating substance if he feels threatened. That is one more reason dogs should not mouth or lick toads.

Do not handle toads unless there is a real safety reason. Their skin is sensitive, and they may release irritating chemicals when frightened. Keep dogs from licking or mouthing toads. If a pet mouths a toad or shows drooling, foaming, pawing at the mouth, vomiting, or acting sick, rinse the mouth gently with water flowing outward and contact a veterinarian right away. Think About They: Why is “look with your eyes” such an important rule for amphibians?