Thursday, August 12, 2010

Northern Gray Treefrog

Last week I found this Northern Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor) near Big John's Pond in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. I had stopped to photograph some insects and just happened to lay eyes on it. Otherwise I might have missed the frog due to its excellent camouflage.These treefrogs are plentiful but are more often heard than seen. Their call is a soft trill.

There is a very similar species, Cope's Gray Treefrog (H. chrysoscelis), which is distinguishable from Northern Gray Treefrog only by voice. However, it is a southern species, and as far as I can tell, it does not range into New York. It is present in small numbers in a few counties in southern New Jersey.