Pictured
Above: A male Spring Peeper (right). Note the "X" pattern on his back.
Description:
Spring Peepers are
brownish-beige frogs with whitish bellies. Their backs usually have a
distinct "X" pattern (pictured above). The toes of these frogs
are only partially webbed and have very small "suction cups" on the
tips (compared to treefrogs). They are very small and generally similar in
size to the Western Chorus Frog (1 1/4" snout to rump length). These
frogs are members of the family Hylidae, which includes many treefrogs
worldwide. Within Wisconsin, they are most closely related to the Western
Chorus Frog, with whom they share the same genus (Pseudacris).
Habitat/Ecology:
The Spring Peeper
prefers damp woodlots or meadows near ponds and marshes. They do not seem
to enjoy wetlands that have been excessively disturbed by humans. Spring
Peepers spend most of their time under wet leaves and logs (especially in
lowland forests) except during the breeding season when they come out into the
open to mate. These frogs eat insects, worms, and slugs among other
things. They are secretive when not breeding, but if exposed (such as
during the breeding season) they make easy prey for several larger predators
(such as birds, snakes, or raccoons).
Remarks:
Male Spring Peepers
begin calling in late March or early April and often continue through late
May. Their call is a single "peep" repeated over and over again,
and it is from this call that they name "Spring Peeper" comes
from. A full chorus of many Peepers can fill the night air and be
deafening. Like the Wood Frog and Gray Treefrog, Spring Peepers can
withstand partial freezing as they hibernate in the leaf litter during the
colder months, yet emerge unharmed when spring arrives due to a special
"anti-freeze" produced by their cells.
I
have heard loud choruses of Spring Peepers in the Myrick Park Marsh (La Crosse
River Marsh) concurrently with Western Chorus Frogs and Leopard Frogs. I
also believe them to be common in many other wetland habitats found throughout
the La Crosse area. These frogs usually call the most at a slightly later
date than do Chorus Frogs and I believe that the flood waters in 2001 within the
Marsh had begun to subside before the males started calling heavily. They
can also be heard calling on Goose Island as well as marshy areas near Green
Island to name few more places
