Spring Peepers - the Invisible Frog

Every year as we get closer to spring, in anticipation of better days, I always write down on our calendar the signs of the coming. I always keep those calendars year after year and compare them as to when the first robin appeared, or the first Canada goose or the first sandhill crane or the first barn swallow. And for the most part, year after year, it surprises me how close to the same date or the same week the different kritters show up.

One of the surest signs of spring and my favorite thing to watch for is the sound of the first frogs of the spring -- and the chorus of millions of Spring Peepers; they appear after the frost is out of the ground. This year has been most unusual as we all realize, and the Spring Peepers appeared the earliest I have a record of: March 30th, incredibly early. The early spring is the only time that we are aware of the spring peepers, as this is their mating time and the males are singing their love song, serenading their sweethearts.

Spring peepers are, to the frog world, what robins are to the bird world. As their name explains, they begin singing at the beginning of spring. They can be found in both wooded and grassy areas near ponds and lowlands. They are kritters of the night, hiding from enemies during the day and coming out at night to feed on small insects. In the early spring, they mate and lay their eggs in water, but they spend the rest of the year in the forest. During the cold winter months they hibernate, ...