They may be small, but they make quite an impression.
The night music of late summer is back. That constant trilling and rasping, a sound that is both comforting and reminiscent of youth spent running in the neighborhood with the start of school looming on the horizon.
“One of the principal performers in this summer serenade is the little guy shown here–and, yes, it is the guys who do the singing,” explained Art Weber Metroparks nature photographer.
Despite its diminutive size–no more than about two inches–the male gray tree frog is capable of very loud calls that, when combined with the calls of other males, can be deafening.
In springtime, they are calling to set territories and attract a female, though that’s not the case in fall. It is thought they sometimes call this time of year because the length of day is the same as breeding season.
These tiny frogs often come to outdoor lights at night where they can gorge themselves on insects.
They are capable of camouflaging themselves to better blend with their surroundings, turning colors ranging from gray to green and brown.
While these frogs sometimes carry the tune of a late summer evening, listen, too, for the raspy noise of katydids, the chirping sound of crickets and the buzz of cicadas.
You just might hear them earlier in the day, too, mistaking their call for that of a bird.
Mr. Weber captured this frog atop poblano peppers.
