Photo Friday #012: Spring Peepers Are Here

Spring is finally here, we’re quite sure of it. In fact if there is another snow storm you can blame it on us.

Spring is consistently anticipated for the warm weather and the green grass. It gets better when you can leave the window cracked at night, have a nice breeze, and listen to the spring peepers, one of the most distinguished sounds of the year.

Hmmm, what is a spring peeper?

I look forward to the peepers every spring, but I have never really known what they are. Thanks to Wikipedia and Flickr I know a little more about them now.

The spring peeper is a small frog, attaining an adult size between 0.75 and 1.5 inches (up to 40mm) long. They have a dark cross on their backs roughly in the shape of an “X”, though sometimes the marking may be indistinct. The color variations of the spring peeper are mostly tan, brown, olive green,and gray. Females are lighter-colored, while males are slightly smaller and usually have dark throats.

Source: Wikipedia

• Species: Pseudacris crucifer
• Favorite snacks: small spiders and insects
• Favorite snacks of: snakes, skunks, and large frogs
• Breeding: March to June, especially after warm rains, and can lay up to 1,000 eggs
• There is a second species, the southern spring peeper, in Florida and Georgia

And just in case you you’d like to listen to some Spring Peepers right now, there is a good audio file at Wikipedia, as well as what a single spring peeper sounds like.

(Photo courtesy of Norm Walsh on Flickr)