Amphibian serenade: the gray tree frog

During the last few weeks, fields, forests and wetlands have been alive with the sound of life. From the call of the wood thrush to the bleating of a new fawn, these sounds tell a story of what creatures are nearby and the health of their habitat.

One of these sounds indicates a cricket perhaps, but there is something unusual about this sound emanating from the trees. The rhythm and the volume of the sound may indicate that that the star performer may be an amphibian instead of an insect, an amphibian such as the gray tree frog.

The gray tree frog (Hyla versacolor) is a small frog that is able to climb trees and vertical surfaces due to sticky toe pads on its feet. As its scientific name implies, it has the ability to change colors to match its environment. A gray tree frog could also be green, brown or yellow with variable mottling. It is the master of disguise, which can make it difficult to see on the trunk or branch of a tree.

A tree frog is small, only an inch or two in length, but its call is very loud. The call is a trill that lasts for about a second. During the day, tree frogs may have a “mad minute” in which they call to each other for a minute or so before falling silent for a half hour or more. At night, they climb down and congregate near ponds and wetlands and call more steadily. As with other frogs, they will breed in ponds. The tadpoles take about two months to grow into froglets.