Frogs have begun to sing their springtime songs. Although they are loud, most of the frogs are small and well-hidden. I was happy to spot this tiny one, which I believe is an Eastern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans), last Wednesday at Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia.
According to the Virginia Herpetological website, the Eastern Cricket Frog, which some other sources call the Northern Cricket Frog, is 5/8 to 1-3/8 inches in length (16-35 mm). I am pretty certain that I would not have been able to spot the little frog if it had not jumped into the air and landed at a spot that I could see. Even then, I had trouble finding it in the viewfinder of my extended telephoto lens.
The referenced website notes that the male mating call resembles the sound of two stones being hit together and a single call usually lasts through 20-30 beats. Is it music? You will have to answer that question for yourself, but I suspect that the call is music to the ears of lady frogs.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
That is a little beauty, Mike! Well spotted and photographed!
Nice Mike! Looking forward to seeing your dragonfly images!
We don’t see frogs very often, Mike. I always like it when we do. Even in pictures.
Nice photograph, Mike! These little guys are hard to find and we’re usually content with just hearing them.
I think all frog sounds are “musical”!
We haven’t heard our Spring Peepers yet.
Blue Rock Horses Frederick County, Virginia bluerockhorses.com
Amazingly well camouflaged!
I haven’t heard of this one.
Surely music is in the ear of the beholder!
Undoubtedly!
Great camouflage! The frog was hard to spot even from the photo.