Upland Chorus Frog (Pseudacris feriarum)

He turned up at the house – at least we think it’s the same frog – several years ago and lives in one of the water-filled planters on the patio. He and his friends probably made their way from the small pools that survive after the stream on the neighboring property dry up each year and which have served as breeding pools. His friends took up residence in a water-filled bathtub that serves as a planter in the greenhouse. Some came over to the house one year but seem to have left. He is alone.

He calls every year – as early as January – until the end of the breeding season in March. At the moment, he is calling during the warm of the afternoon and often into the evening. Not continuously, but in ‘waves’ – calling for a while, taking a break, and then calling again. I have also heard him calling in the early morning as I leave for work in the dark.

He usually stops calling when we walk out the front door and doesn’t start again until we have left the area. If we tried to walk over to the planter, he would bob under the water. This afternoon was different. I walked over to the planter and peered all around the edge of the planter, not expecting to see him. But there he was. His body was half out of the water. Maybe he thought I couldn’t see him if he didn’t call.

I had my camera with me, so I took a few photos using the zoom lens. Then I tried a shot with the flash, fully expecting that the light would be reflected and show nothing. Having taken all the shots I planned, I took a chance and switched to the macro setting. I leaned all the way down to him and took another shot. To my surprise, he stayed above water. Surprisingly, the shot taken with the flash didn’t reflect the light but showed his body underwater.

Neat!

P.S. Pseudacris feriarum (Upland Chorus Frog; now called Southeastern Chorus Frog) is found in the Southeastern United States. It's range and call can be found here.