Photo by Jim Jung. All rights reserved.

Gray Treefrogs

The tadpoles of Gray Treefrogs quietly munch on algae in warm quiet pools during the spring and most of the summer, and they finally mature at a time of abundant insects to take their place among their older relations. Upon leaving the water the newly transformed youngsters crawl into shrubs and other greenery along the water's edge where they hunt small insects and grow rapidly. By summer's end they'll be nearly adult size.

The newly transformed froglets - now a striking emerald green with gold margins - bear an uncanny resemblance to adult Green Treefrogs (Hyla cinereus), a species more common south of our area.

Habits

As our most common and widest ranging treefrog, the Grey is the treefrog most people encounter since they're often found near porch lights and windows where they feed on the insects the lights attract.

The Complex

The Gray Treefrog is composed of two cryptic species that are indistinguishable visually. It wasn't until the late 1960's that observers noted that some Gray Treefrogs had songs that consistently differed between individuals and populations. Careful detective work revealed that what appeared to be only one species was actually two and the only way to tell them apart was by the cadence of their songs. Further work revealed genetic differences as well in that one species chromosome count was diploid while the other was haploid. Since as a practical matter differentiating between the two species in the field is nearly impossible the two are usually lumped together as the Gray Treefrog Complex.

Coloration

Gray Treefrogs, while usually gray, range in color from nearly white to greenish black depending on the color of their substrate, the air temperature, their age and condition. All however have large, prominent toepads, rough warty skin, orange coloration in the groin area (usually concealed when the frog is at rest) and a white spot beneath the eye.

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