FROGS AND LIZARDS

Nothing signifies a healthy garden more clearly than the presence of frogs and lizards.

Skinks and lizards, whether darting about or sitting motionless in the sun waiting for passing prey, are an assurance that your backyard will be relatively free of the obnoxious insects on which reptiles feast.

Frogs are no mean predators themselves and, like the proverbial canary in the coalmine, are reliable indicators of the quality of your little ecosystem. If your pond’s not up to scratch, amphibians are the first to disappear.

FROGS

Australia boasts well over 200 endemic frog species. Tree-dwelling, burrowing, jumping and running frogs can be found in almost every Australian landscape, from desert clay pans to rainforests, from alpine mountains to urban spaces — including, hopefully, your backyard.

But frog populations are in decline and human activity is thought to be largely responsible. Frogs are highly sensitive to chemicals and pollutants that make their way into the environment. The use of insecticides and