The Post

Jeepers, creepers, where’d you get those peepers, and frogs and toads and … Spring has arrived!  Finally.  One can tell by the cacophony of sounds and it’s not just the birds.  Many of our amphibian friends have awakened and have begun their spring songs. Their auditory melodies can be heard coming from ponds, streams, puddles, and woodlands.  Here are a few of the ones native to this area.  See how many you can detect in your daily travels. 

Eastern American toad. Yes this critter has warts. It is a squatty individual with a big belly.  It makes what is referred to as a high-pitched trill. (Think old time alarm clock with clanging bells on top of it.)  It lays a mass of eggs in a jelly.  The small black tadpoles can be found in puddles or ponds.  It has the other distinct characteristic of emitting a mucus that causes any dog that happens to pick it up to foam at the mouth. 

Northern spring peeper. These diminutive frogs sure can make a sound.  It is more of a series of peeps.  They have the ability to climb due to their sticky fingers and toes. 

Chorus frog.  They typically have stripes down their sides.  They also make a sound that is a number of chirps.  They require a water habitat.

Bull frog.  This is a large green or brownish frog.  It sounds like roAR, roAR, roAR.  The tadpoles can become very large, sometimes taking over a year to morph into a frog. 

Green frog.  This frog looks like a small bull frog.  Sound is a bit more subdued and higher pitched than bull frog. 

Wood frog.  This small species is found in forests laying its eggs very early in the season in small pools in the woods.  It makes an unusual chortling sound. 

Leopard Ffog.  This frog, as its name implies, has black spots on a body that can be green or brown.  It sometimes wanders far away from water, remarkable for a frog.  It makes a clicking and grunting sound.