Don and I went out to mow after lunch and the first thing I ran into was more frogs, this time a Wood Frog, which live in the grass, go figure why they're named "wood" frog. So, since I talked about the Leopard Frogs, I decided it wasn't fair
not to talk about the Wood Frogs.Wood frogs have a very different song than leopard frogs, and I find them more in the grass by the tree margins, rather than in, or by, the wetlands or ponds. They seem to be less prolific than leopard frogs, or are just smarter at staying out of the way of mowers.
Usually by this time of year I'm stopping the mower 4 to 5 times a mowing session to move either a leopard or wood frog. Sadly however, that number is down to 2 to 3 times per mowing session this year. I'm guessing because of the drought, frog numbers are down.
My favorite "sounding" frog is the Spring Peeper. They start singing early in the s
pring and continue through May and sometimes into June. They start up at dusk and sing until at least 2AM. In fact, their chorus can be so deafening, if you have the windows open it's hard to get to sleep.Spring peepers are nocturnal and in cold weather like ours they will hibernate under logs or loose bark. They belong to a family known as "Chorus Frogs" and their distinct call is a sign that spring is underway.
