Around our garden I have placed an assortment of small refugia, mainly to give our slow-worms somewhere to hide. Some are made of corrugated iron, others roofing felt, a few are cut sections of tree trunk and others home-made wooden boards. Each one has its regular inhabitants like slugs, snails, woodlice, centipedes, ants, spiders and worms but occasionally we find a special visitor. This might be a grass snake, a worm slug, a shrew or baby slow-worms. One day a few weeks ago I lifted a board and to my delight found a half-grown toad. It took me a few seconds to notice it as its brown and orange colours blended so well with the soil it was sitting on. Its eyes had beautiful amber highlights.
Every few days I carefully lifted the board to take a quick look. The little toad has been resident for over a month now and is still there during daylight hours, squatting in its small depression under the board – a real live toad in the hole!