Frogs and Toads

Green Treefrog Green Tree Frog
Hyla cinerea

Description

1 1/4-2 1/2" (3.2-6.4 cm). Bright green, yellow, or greenish-gray. Has sharply defined light stripe along upper jaw and side of body; side stripe occasionally absent. Sometimes has tiny, black-edged gold spots on back. Large toe pads.

Voice

Cowbell-like when heard at a distance. Nearer, sound is quank, quank. Males call while clinging to vertical stems 1-2' (.3-.5 m) above water.

Breeding

March to October in southern areas, April to September in northern areas.

Habitat

Trees and shrubs growing in or near permanent water. During the day frequently found asleep on underside of large leaves or in other moist, shady places.

Range

Delaware south along the coastal plain into Florida and the Keys, west to s. Texas, and north through c. Arkansas and w. Tennessee to Illinois.

Discussion

Green Treefrogs congregate in large choruses of several hundred. A typical treefrog, this species prefers to walk rather than jump. When fleeing a predator in the trees it takes gangly leaps into space.