Meet the American Green Tree Frog
In this StoryMap you'll become acquainted with the coolest frog in the Southeast and learn what you can do to keep them around forever!
Getting to know our new friend!
Whenever you meet someone new, there are a few things you may want to know about them right away so that you can get to know them better. You may ask questions like "Where do you live?", "What's your full name?", or something more fun like "What is your favorite food?"
Here we will dive into some of those icebreaker questions so that you can get to know the American Green Tree Frog a little bit better!
Where does the American Green Tree Frog live?
A map of all the states that the American Green Tree Frog can be found.
The American Green Tree Frog is an amphibian that can be found all along the gulf coast region, coastal south and lower east coast.
An amphibian is a cold-blooded vertebrate animal of a class that comprises the frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders. They are distinguished by having an aquatic gill-breathing larval stage followed (typically) by a terrestrial lung-breathing adult stage.
The American Green Tree Frog is often found right here in Richmond, Virginia - maybe even in your own backyard!
While the tree frog is found throughout the southeast, there are specific areas that they tend to populate more than others.
As noted by the Virginia Herpetological Society, “[Adult] green tree frogs are adaptable to a number of habitats, although sites are typically associated with permanent bodies of water containing abundant emergent vegetation. Reported aquatic habitats include swamps, sloughs, marshes, lakes, farm ponds, sewage ponds, fish-farm ponds, flooded borrow pits, flooded sink-holes, and ditches.” [1] The tree frog prefers tall grassy, marsh-like areas with access to water. Wooded areas with streams, rivers, ponds or lakes are sure to be filled many tree frogs.
Check out the photos below to see an example of the tree frog's habitat and a map of where they live throughout the U.S:
On the left is a photograph of a marsh area located if Fairfax, Virginia. [2] This is a great example of the kind of environment American Green Tree Frogs reside. The right features a map which indicates the population range for the American Green Tree Frog - as you can see this species is primarily located along the gulf coast region, coastal south, and lower east coast. [3]
What does the American Green Tree Frog eat?
If you want to catch a glimpse of the tree frog, try heading outside at night, when your flood light is on, as they tend to set up camp nearby in hopes of feasting on the bugs that are drawn to the light. Try looking for them on the sides of houses, sheds or cars.
According to a profile from the Chesapeake Bay Program the American Green Tree Frog eats small insects and invertebrates like crickets, flies and moths. [4]
Lifecycle of the Tree Frog
The mating season is roughly from March to October. Females lay hundreds of eggs at once, often in shallow water, and the gestation period is extremely short. The Green American Tree Frog, as is the case with all frogs, follows a very specific life cycle and while the tree frog has no known migration pattern, the tadpoles do disperse out into nearby landscapes when it’s time.
[5]
It can take just one week for the eggs to hatch or can take as long as twenty five days - which is still pretty short considering a human’s gestation period is nine months!
After hatching, the tree frog is in a stage known as a tadpole. It then moves into a stage known as tadpole phase two or tadpole with legs. Then the tadpole with legs transitions in the second to last stage known as a froglet.
All together, the cycle lasts just two weeks and in that short period of time, the tadpole becomes an adult frog. [6]
Did you know that this frog can sing?
One of the most distinct attributes of the Green American Tree Frogs is its ability to communicate. Of the various ways the tree frog communications, people are most familiar with its mating call.
The call begins around dusk and is heard throughout the night. It is most often described as a kind of honking and can be repeated up to 75 per minute. This mating call is an important part of reproduction for the tree frog as it serves to attract females to males while also warning other male frogs nearby to stay away.
Green Treefrog Call Frogs of the Eastern US [7]
The mating call is not the only kind of communication the tree frog partakes in. According to Animaldiversity.org, “Alarm calls are used to broadcast that there is an immediate threat or predator around. There is also a noticeably different rain call, which is vocalized when frogs sense that there will soon be rain. Green tree frogs have well developed hearing and can sense vibrations through the ground. The parietal organ, located on the top of the head between the eyes, has been implicated in compass orientation and thermoregulation.” [8]
The tree frog also changes color slightly in relation to its calls - when it is calling it will appear more vibrant and when it is resting it will be a more muted shade of green.
This color change is also related to the temperature as they appear less vibrant in colder weather.
Is the American Green Tree Frog under threat?
The American Green Tree Frog is prey for many species like large birds, snakes and large fish.
Fortunately, their numbers are quite abundant throughout the regions they are found. They are not considered to be under threat due to predation or human impact. However, we must not take this fact for granted. The presence of the tree frog is quite beneficial to our ecosystem overall as they keep mosquito populations lower so it is in our best interest to be considerate of theirs. [9]
It is important to do what we can to preserve their habitats and do what we can to not disturb their mating rituals so they can continue to thrive in high numbers.
