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While on an eventful hike along the Fults Hill Prairie Nature Preserve Trail, this cute (?) little frog kept an eye on us
This Frog was huge - A very healthy looking Frog indeed,It stood and watched me fill the water up at the caravan site.
Caught this little fellow on a hiking trail and wanted to carry him about 50 yards to a patch of better lighting. He fought to be free until we got to our destination, then calmly sat in my hand after I opened it up and remained there for a few minutes while I switched to my macro lens (tricky to do with just 1 hand) and gave him a little photo shoot.
I'm in between classes here on the first day of my 7th year of teaching high school physics! Here's to another great year :)
Gray tree frogs are, as their common name implies, predominately gray in color. They can be light or dark gray, or light gray with darker gray, black, yellow or green mottling. They are relatively small compared to other North American frog species, typically attaining no more than 1.5 to 2 inches (4cm to 5cm) in length. Their skin has a lumpy texture to it, giving them a warty appearance. They are virtually indistinguishable from the Cope's Gray Tree Frog, Hyla chrysoscelis, the only readily noticeable difference being their call.
Both Hyla chrysoscelis and Hyla versicolor have bright orange patches on the hind legs, which distinguishes them from other tree frogs, such as Hyla avivoca (Martof et al. 1980). Both species of Gray tree frogs are slightly sexually dimorphic. Males have black or gray throats, while the throat of the female is lighter (Tyning 1990).
Tadpoles have a rounded body (as opposed to the more elongated bodies of stream species) with a high, wide tail that can be colored red if predators are in the system. Metamorphosis can occur in as little as 2 months with optimal conditions. At metamorphosis, the new froglets will almost always turn green for a day or two before changing to the more common gray.
Geographic range
Gray tree frogs inhabit a wide range, and can be found in most of the eastern half of the United States, as far west as central Texas. They also range into Canada in the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, with an isolated population in New Brunswick.
Behavior
Gray tree frogs are primarily arboreal, spending time in wooded areas, usually not far from a permanent water source. On rainy evenings they can often be found calling in or near shallow, temporary pools of water. They are nocturnal and insectivorous, consuming most any small arthropod they can catch. Mating occurs throughout the spring and summer months.They also will change colors, as in a light green to a gray, to match their habitat.
Gray Tree Frog, Hyla versicolor
In captivity
Wild caught gray treefrogs are frequently found in the pet trade. They make excellent, undemanding captives. A moderately humid vivarium of live plants is generally quite adequate to house them, along with a varied diet of commercially available crickets, small moths and other insects. Be sure to provide a source of water for your tree frog or mist frequently to keep the skin moist. These pets are common in and around the Oklahoma region, and are nocternal like many other tree frogs.
Conservation
There are several environmental changes that affect Hyla versicolor, including ones that result from human land use and development. Studies indicate that Hyla versicolor is moderately tolerant of pH levels as low as 3.5. UV-B radiation does not affect egg and larvae survival, but does reduce swimming activity. 200 – Concetrations of 2,000 micrograms per liter of Atrazine, a globally used herbicide used against pre- and post-emergence broadleaf and grassy weeds in major crops, gave tadpoles 10% less body mass and were 5% shorter than normal water concentrations. The larval period also took 5% longer in the greater concentration. Carbaryl, also known as Sevis, is the third-most-used insecticide. By itself, it does not hurt things, but UV-B radiation photoenhances its toxicity, reducing swimming activity and killing 10% - 60% of the tadpoles exposed to weak concentrations of this chemical for long periods of time. If predatory cues were also present, it killed an even greater 60% - 98% of the tadpoles.
Frog Woman traveled many miles looking for the cause of the drought that starved the river of it's water as it passed through her pleasant green valley. Far to the North, at the foot of the mountains, Frog Woman encountered Coyote. Coyote was drinking every drop of the river water as it emerged from a spring in the foothills.
She asked Coyote "Why are you so thirsty that you do not share the water?"
Coyote did not answer her, and simply continued to drink.
Frog Woman asked him, "Where am I to lay my eggs if the river does not flow?"
Coyote barely paused to look at Frog Woman before returning to drinking.
Frog Woman became angry and sprouted wings, she lept high into the air and soared toward the sun. When she had flown so high that Coyote was only a tiny dot on on the earth below, she turned and dove through Coyote's thick fur and into his bloated water filled belly where she released her eggs.
Coyote did not seem to notice at first, but the frog eggs turned quickly to tadpoles, swelling the stomach of Coyote until it burst releasing the river's water and the brood of Frog Woman who soared high above and watched the river return her young to the valley below.
I found this little guy in my shed trying to get out of the heat. ( a little blurry on his nose - sorry )
It has been a long, slow developing Spring---today on the 8th of May, I saw the first frogs around our koi pond. I have no idea where these frogs came from in the first place---we are about one-half a mile from a lake. But, if you look at them, they look like two species---but I think they are one with different color forms. Sometimes there are 25 or more frogs sitting on the rocks around the pond. Red flowers from the trees above the pond are raining down.
To make this image, I put on my waders on and used a Pentax K5 and a Pentax 50-135 lens with a polarizer. I got in the water and waded as close as I could without spooking them.
Camera settings: ISO 1600, aperture f/11, shutter 1/160, and focal lenth 135mm.
four frogs on a rock
soaking up the spring sunshine
soon they will be singing
Image and haiku by John Henry Gremmer
It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone but I don't know the species of this frog, it was found in the Imbabura province near Zuleta, Ecuador at an elevation of about 3000m.
These guys show off their awesome aposematic colouration, with is a clear indication to predators that these guys aren't worth eating due to their toxicity!
Slightly out of focus, as they where shot through the glass window protecting us from these dangerous little devils at Cairns Tropical Zoo.
Read all about frogs here:
We have a plastic citronella lantern that hangs from the corner of our house. I simply set my little camera on top of the lantern, turned the flash off, and let the timer take the picture. I took a bunch of them, and this is by far my favorite.