I was very excited last Thursday when a passing photographer pointed out this little tree frog to me last Thursday as I was walking along a trail at Huntley Meadows Park. I think that it is a Gray Tree Frog (Hyla versicolor), through there is a chance that it could be a Cope’s Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis). According to the Virginia Herpetologcal Society, “Our two native gray treefrogs are identical in appearance. In the field the only two ways to distinguish H. chrysoscelis from H. versicolor is by their call and in some cases geographic location.”
The green and gray pattern on its body looks unusual to me and makes it look like the frog has lichen on its back. The Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute website notes that, “The gray tree frog’s scientific name is Hyla versicolor, which comes from the Latin for “variable color.” It is named for its ability to alter its skin color based on the time of day and surrounding temperature. The skin becomes much lighter at night and darker during the day.”
I was starting to feel a little cold as I was observing the tree frog and wondered what would happen to it in the winter. I was shocked to discover that Gray Tree Frogs hibernate during the cold weather. The Smithsonian website mentioned above states that, “The gray tree frog hibernates in the winter by taking refuge in trees. It survives freezing temperatures by producing glycerol to “freeze” itself while maintaining interior metabolic processes at a very slow rate.” Wow!
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
What a great find, Mike. It’s unusual coloring would be admirable enough, but those survival skills are remarkable.
Thanks. It is always fascinating for me to do a little research when trying to identify my subjects. It is amazing how so many creatures are able to survive in harsh conditions,
Wonderful photography and words. 🙏
Thanks so much for your kind words. I really love having the chance to share my photos and my thoughts in my blog. Over the past eight years, it has become a part of my daily routine.
You are an inspiration, my days are brightened by your posts.
Wow. Thanks.
Very nice Mike! Plus I learned something about the coloring of the Grey Tree Frog!😊
Sweet capture, Mike. Interesting facts, particularly about hibernation.
Thanks, Eliza. I run across weird and wonderful tidbits of information when researching my subjects and it is really fun to share them with others.
Thanks. I’ve never seen one.
I didn’t think that I had seen a Gray Tree Frog before, but I check my old blog posts and apparently I had previously seen one being swallowed by a snake. Yikes.
Selective memory
Either that, Ted, or simply a reality of getting old. 🙂
Ha ! I back spaced over my original comment LOL, same general idea though.
Every day I can learn something here…. Thank you for this nicely documented post.
Thanks. I never quite know for sure what approach I will use for a post, but I try to keep interesting and fun.
Wow, indeed! Another great example of nature’s oddities and abilities. Great captures and I love the difference in the way he is holding his foot.
Thanks, Ellen. I never quite know what I will see when I go out. Even though I have been going to the same places over and over again, it seems like there is new stuff to discover all of the time.
Never think you’ve seen it all!
I’ve not seen one of these before; it actually looks more like a toad than a frog, to some extent. And they stay in the trees to hibernate–fascinating!
Thanks, Gary. I find tree frogs to be endlessly fascinating–I am always delighted when I am researching my subjects to find so many interesting tidbits of information.