Gray tree frogs have picked up the evening chorus this spring. The forest music began in late winter-early spring with the chorus frogs and spring peepers, then wood frogs and toads took over.
Now the nighttime serenade is provided courtesy of gray tree frogs. “But you may not see them,” said Art Weber, Metroparks Toledo nature photographer. “They can camouflage their presence by changing color influenced by temperature and their environment. Color can range from brown to gray and green.”
As their name suggests, they spend a lot of time in trees, often belting out a trilling melody from branches overhanging the vernal pools where they lay eggs. They are present in numbers, in many areas of the Oak Openings Region. Their song will carry through the wetlands and woods, keeping park visitors company after sunset.
“Some have said that their breeding call sounds like a wood thrush, and if you think you’re hearing a thrush at night, it’s a pretty good bet it’s a tree frog and not a bird,” Weber said.
The song can be so loud that it suggests a much larger frog than it is. In truth, it is a small frog, two inches or less in length. It feeds on insects, snails and worms.
“Gray tree frogs can live about seven years, surviving winters with a process that allows it to freeze and suspend its breathing and heartbeat–Incredible,” he explained.
Above, a gray tree frog shows its mottled gray color that enables the amphibian to blend in with its surroundings.
