Jeepers. Peepers!

Just going by the amount of noise they make, Northern Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer crucifer) are quite numerous here around the pond and edges of the yard, yet I rarely see them. But twice this spring they’ve made appearances.

The first I saw was a female on my downstairs door following a night of thunderstorms. Not wanting a “frog on the door” photo, I tried to get her to hang onto a tree, but she would not cooperate, so I have a series of photos of her in the grass.

no-spring-peeper-1.jpg

no-spring-peeper-2.jpg

A few days later, I found a breeding pair in the grass by the pond.

mating-no-spring-peepers.jpg

Males are smaller than females, as seen in the last photo, and have a darker throat during the breeding season. According to Johnson, the color can range from pink to tan, light brown to gray. The X on the back is always present though it may be faint and hard to see on some individuals. Once considered a treefrog, peepers have proven to be chorus frogs and have been reclassified accordingly.

References:

The Amphibians and Reptiles of Missouri. Tom R Johnson – Missouri Department of Conservation, 2006.

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