Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Frog Songs

There were several species of frogs sounding off during the middle of the day yesterday at Great Swamp NWR. It was a… chorus… of several species. Lots of sounds I’ve never heard before. This one was the only amphibian actually seen out of the water; I’ve yet to find one of the peepers or chorus or tree frogs that sing out of the water. They blend in nicely. But meanwhile, in the water:

Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus, or Rana sylvatica in older sources) were the ones I definitely IDed. Some of their egg masses… just in time for the snow.

mthew

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4 responses to “Frog Songs”

  1. Ellen

    We heard these noisy frogs all over the place at Sylvan Glen Park Preserve. We hunted hard to see actual frogs and finally spotted some in one little pond. Different areas seemed to have different frogs. It was so much fun! Also gorgeous purple skunk cabbage. The first sign of Spring for me.

    Reply
    1. mthew

      I’ve been surrounded by Spring Peepers roaring lustily away, so much so that the sound seemed to fill up my lungs, but I’ve never seen one.

      Reply
      1. Ellen

        We could not find the peepers! Are they on trees?

      2. mthew

        Yes, they come out of the water and position themselves on trees and so forth to belt forth their come-hithers. Small and camouflaged, presumably delicious to snakes and egrets; they only want to seen by others of their kind.

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