How do toads populate an area without water, ie pond or lake?

[Digger]

How are these toads living? In my North Idaho backyard, the only time I see toads is when I dig a deep hole ( 2 1/2 ft. and deeper). Our soil is sandy with a minimum amount of rocks and I have no standing water within miles of my home. The toads that I have found range in size from about 2in. to 4in. in body length. I do notice the top of the ground has various sized holes, ranging from a dime to a half dollar (the bigger holes I always attributed to gophers and the smaller ones to insects, such as crickets). One anomaly occurred about 20/25 years ago, I refer to it as "The Year of the Toads". Toads were everywhere, climbing the windows, hopping though the living room and covering every inch of ground. You did not dare go outside at night without a flashlight lest you would be wearing toad on your sole.
Can someone please explain to me how these little guys are not only living but prospering in my area.

[UncleChester]

Many species of amphibians reproduce in temporary pools of water (caused by melting snow in the spring or by heavy rain). This can lead to disaster if it dries up before the larva make it to land, but it has other benefits like usually fewer predators, and you can get down to the business of breeding as soon as the snow starts to melt.

I'm not too familiar with most of the western species, but given all the small holes you find, it sound like some might be the Great Basin Spadefoot? These have a particularly short egg to toadlet time frame and are adapted to just hanging out underground for extended periods during try periods. In any case you can find a list of Idaho amphibians here: http://www.amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphi...-state_code=ID Once you ID your local toads, you should be able to find more about their specific life history and their strategies for survival in your environment.