Hyla cinerea (Green Treefrog)

March 17th, 2012. While we were looking for trilliums in bloom at the Scull Shoals Experimental Forest, in Greene County, Georgia, we walked along the road above the swamp.

Looking out across the swamp below the road

Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple) and Trillium cuneatum (Little Sweet Betsy). We spotted a patch of Mayapples just down the slope below the road. We scrambled down the slope to take a closer look and found a mixture of single-stemmed (non-blooming) and split-stemmed (blooming) plants. Trilliums were growing among them.

We made our way back up the slope by a different route and found…

a cluster of trillium plants. And then some…

fern fronds unfurling artistically. And then W saw something jump. It was a small frog, but which one? It looked like a…

Hyla cinerea (Green Treefrog). This is a very young frog, only about 1-1/2 inches long compared with adult frogs which may be 2-1/2 inches long. Right in the middle of the image.

A closer view. The small yellow patches on its back confirm the identification.

I spooked it when I leaned in for a close shot. It jumped up onto a slender branch and assumed the pose characteristic of this species. From this vantage point, the characteristic white strip running down its side is just visible.

Hyla cinerea is found from Maryland to central Texas and north along the Mississippi River valley to southern Illinois. This is the state amphibian for Georgia and Louisiana. You can hear its call here.
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Identification resources:
W. W. Knapp, Frogs and Toads of Georgia: Hyla cinerea (Green Treefrog)

Related Posts
- Trillium cuneatum (Little Sweet Betsy)