Now that summer is nearly here, the toads are emerging from their lairs and many of my evenings are spent chasing them around so I can pick them up and pet them. (Meanwhile, Shadow Jack trudges stolidly behind, wondering how he ever wound up saddled with a lunatic who pets toads. But I digress.)

In addition to being cute, toads are also a fantastic natural pest control for the garden. I like to encourage organic, pesticide-free gardening, so here are some gothy creatures to help keep out the bad bugs:

Toads eat all kinds of insects, grubs, and slugs, and they’re supposed to be good luck. Provide them with some water to drink and to lay their eggs (it doesn’t have to be a pond; anything that doesn’t dry out will do). Give them shelter, both in the form of rock piles and vegetation where they can hide and a cool, damp “toad abode” where they can get out of the sun and away from predators (you can buy elaborate toad houses, but a clay pot turned on its side and halfway buried in the ground is fine). Avoid spraying pesticides or other harsh chemicals; toads and frogs are very susceptible to poisoning. Keep cats under control to prevent them from snacking on toads (both for the toad’s sake and the cat’s; some toads are poisonous).

Lizards eat a variety of insects and can be attracted by giving them places to hide (such as a rock pile or a stack of logs), a shallow water source near the ground, and some flat rocks to sun on.

Snakes will be attracted by the same conditions that lizards like. Although they might eat helpful species like lizards and toads, they also eat rodents. (I think the tradeoff is worth it; there’s nothing that ticks me off more than finding a mouse’s nest in a basement storage box, and I love seeing the occasional shed skin that lets me know our snakes are on patrol.) It should go without saying that you shouldn’t try to pick up a wild snake, and make sure children and pets won’t be bitten.

Bats are nonpareil bug-eaters, and nothing could be gothier. I’ve gone into detail about attracting bats here.

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