This Week’s Creature Feature: Night Talkers
After a soft rain in mid summer there is frequently a chorus of tree frogs saying how great the rain was. The loudest and deepest voice is the gray tree frog; the next loudest is the barking tree frog. The green tree frog has a higher, lighter voice and makes a chirping sound.
The calls after a rain could also be for reproductive means. After a heavy rain there are more areas for them to lay eggs. The eggs will hatch into tadpoles in a mere seven to 10 days. After a few more weeks, the tadpoles develop into frogs. In late August and early September, the young frogs start emerging and spreading out from the water. Like most amphibians, they need to live near moisture so they are rarely, if ever, far from a water source.
In Florida, I frequently find tree frogs living within water-filled bromeliads. In Chesapeake Country, they live in tree crevices, under leaves and even in the eaves of buildings.
The gray tree frog can adjust its coloration to its surroundings, greenish or gray. An even more interesting fact about the gray tree frog is that it has double the usual amount of chromosomes, thus they are frequently referred to as tetraploid tree frogs. A usual number is double pair of chromosomes, or diploid. A diploid tree frog does exist. That’s Cope’s tree frog. They are not able to reproduce with the usual tetraploid but do look identical.
Tree frogs struggle in hot dry weather and may be having some trouble with the current heat wave.