Nature Note: the Spring Peeper
By Chris Carpenter

Peep, peep, peep, the sound of frogs calling is music to my ears. Walking through the woods the other day I heard the shrill call of spring peepers, which means spring is just around the corner.

The northern spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer crucifer) is a tiny frog ranging in size from ¾ of an inch to 1 ¼ inch. They are usually a light tan or brown color with a hint of orange and they have a cross or x-shaped mark on their back as their scientific name implies.

Spring peepers belong to the treefrog family (Hylidae) and the chorus frog genus (Pseudacris). Like other treefrogs, the spring peeper can change colors from light tan to dark brown to match its background. They also have slightly enlarged toe pads enabling them to climb weeds and low shrubs. The spring peeper’s mostly terrestrial habits and early spring breeding are characteristics of chorus frogs.

The spring peeper is easiest to find during the spring breeding season when one can hear their calls from quite a distance during the day and night. The males usually congregate around small woodland ponds, swamps, or ditches and begin singing to attract the females. The 800+ (WOW!) eggs are laid one at a time and attached to underwater vegetation. In one to two weeks the eggs hatch and transformation from tadpoles to adult frogs takes about three months.

After the spring breeding season this diminutive frog can be difficult to find. It is mostly terrestrial and eats a variety of small invertebrates including spiders, ants and beetles.

The range of the spring peeper is statewide and it is typically found in woodlands, swamps and adjacent wet fields. When you’re out and about this spring stop and listen for the calls of the spring peeper and remember that the warm days of spring are not too far away.

Chris Carpenter is a biologist with Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives