Mariton: Wood Frog

by Tim Burris, Preserve Manager

While checking the trails and scouting for invasives I came across this Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica).  Don’t see it?  Look at the photo below.  When I saw the movement, I assumed it was an American Toad.  I am seeing a lot of toads along the trails right now.  I was pleased that I took a moment to actually look.  I was also pleased that I remembered to grab my camera before heading into the woods.

I love wood frogs. They are one of the first frogs to emerge in late winter.  They breed in vernal (temporary) ponds, sometimes when there is still a glaze of ice .  Their “barking or quacking” call can be heard hundreds of yards away and sounds like a huge flock of waterfowl gathering.  The sound is so incongruous, because it often comes from deep within the forest.  They return back to the forest after breeding, which is where I found this Wood Frog.