What’s that sound? It’s spring PEEPERS

By Jim Thornton

Ohio certified volunteer naturalist

Spring has so many ways of announcing itself to our senses. We feel the warmth on our skin. Our eyes have the early wildflowers and budding trees. We can even smell the world coming back to life. For our ears, we all think of birds. But If you are near a pond or wetland, one of the surest signs of spring is the chirping sound from dusk until dawn coming from a frog known as the spring peeper.

Both its common name and its scientific name, Pseudacris crucifer, gives clues for identifying one of our smallest native frogs. The common name is from the male’s loud chirping spring mating call. The sound of a group or chorus of breeding males is near deafening at close range and can sound like sleigh bells at a distance.

The scientific name has clues in its translation. The first name is from Greek: pseudes means false, and akris means cricket or locust. People often think the sounds they hear at night in early spring are insects, but it will be summer before the crickets and katydids begin to fill our nights with their songs. The second part of the name comes from Latin crux for cross, and fer meaning to bear, indicating the distinct “X” or cross of dark colors on the frog’s back.

The adult size varies, but averages 1 to 11/2 inches long. Amazing, compared to the sound of the chirp! The coloration tends to match its surroundings from yellow, reddish brown, gray or olive with a creamy underside. The slightly smaller male is best distinguished by its large balloon-like vocal sac under its chin used for his mating call.

These nocturnal frogs are found over most of the eastern United States and Canada and spend most of their lives in the woods. They are good climbers, but usually are on the ground hunting for ants, flies, beetles or spiders. They venture to ponds or wetlands in the spring to breed. The female lays individual eggs on underwater vegetation, and the vegetarian tadpoles will feed in the water for about 13 weeks as they develop into land-dwelling adults.

These tiny frogs hibernate during winter under dead vegetation and can survive freezing due to a natural “antifreeze” in their systems.

Be sure to be on the lookout for frog walks in April and May conducted by your local parks and nature centers. They are catch and release and are great fun for all ages. I enjoy the fun, but it’s hard to beat watching the pure joy of a child catching his or her first spring peeper.

You can see photos and a great description of the Spring Peeper and other amphibians in ODNR’s guide to amphibians at http://go.osu.edu/amphibians.