One of the signs of spring that warms the heart and tickles the eardrums are the emergence of the Spring Peepers. Peepers are chorus frogs common in the eastern US and Canada. They have silly nicknames: ” On Martha’s Vineyard, peepers are commonly called “pinkletinks”; in New Brunswick, Canada, they are called “tinkletoes.” Here in our corner of the asylum we call them Peepy Toads.
Peepy Toad: Go away, lady... I'm busy.
In early spring, as the small ponds thaw, all of a sudden on a relatively warm afternoon or evening you hear it: the peepy toads calling. The first thing that strikes you when you actually see one is their size: teensy. They aren’t much more than an inch or so long from nose to rump and yet manage to make such a racket. All the noise is made by the males, who are trying to attract a mate.
Look at me... I'm one sexy froggy
They start out in the small ponds/wet areas and spread out until they occupy every wet spot and moist cranny in the surrounding fields. I remember the season when I got these pictures. I was like a crazy woman out there with my flashlight in one hand and my camera in the other.
Hey Baby! I'm a sex machine!
It’s not unusual to hear these little frogs and then have nature freeze them into silence again. We always say that once you hear the peepers the third time, spring has sprung. Third time’s the charm. Late spring is when they really get going. There is one wet area just beyond the corner of the pasture where they congregate by the thousands. If you stand anywhere within a few hundred feet away the sound is deafening.
All this from a tiny little frog that is almost impossible to find. I can’t tell you how much pleasure these little guys have brought over the years. There is inevitably a time when they seem to surround our house; after all, we do live in wetlands and in spring it lives up to the name.
Yoo hoo, I'm over here!
We do have one other tree frog that makes itself known later in the season: Eastern Gray Tree Frog. The grays hang out closer to the larger ponds and have a different sound. They trill. But today we’re celebrating the lowly Peepy Toad, my absolute favorite harbinger of spring.
Three legged tree frog
Wow…again, great pix! I think you could have a second career as a nature/wildlife photographer!
Crazy those noisy little stinkers are that small!!! We don’t hear anything like that around here. We don’t even hear crickets or any other bugs. But…we do have spiders and lots of ‘em! They don’t make any noise of course. The noise comes from me when I round the corner and come face to face with one!!!!
Having a nice relaxing morning with B on the couch. <3
Thank you so much, Chris! What a wonderful compliment. My camera is really nice, but getting outdated… it’s only a 3.2 megapixel. But it has a killer zoom and great micro capability. I’m starting to dream about a new camera.
Yeah, peepy toads are the tiniest little critters you can imagine. Easier to find when calling, and still devilishly hard to spot.
Ah spiders. I had an unnatural fear when I was a kid. Not too bad now, but if I came face to face with an ugly one, I’d make noise too. And probably shiver with revulsion for hours afterward. (golden orb spiders… I am so full of it… I had the shivers that day too)
Oh… B gets an extra treet today… (cats can’t spell 2 good) so dig out that can of ‘slow mole’ you’ve been saving.
Enjoy each other’s company!
Hey Aunt Nancy!
I really like the peeper toad! Do they stay around all summer? When we go camping we can go on the lookout for them. You know how Mar and I love looking for frogs. We should go for lunch one of these days. Miss you! Give all the kitties kisses for me (:
Love,
Amanda
Hi Mandy, Yes, they are around all summer, but unless they are hooting and hollering, you can’t find them. Of course, that would never stop you and Jersey!
Lunch sounds great… one of our favorite diners maybe?
Love ya…
Spring peepers, as we call them, are a great harbinger of spring. Unfortunately, we don’t hear them in our corner of Northeast New Jersey, so thanks for including the song as well as the pictures. I really miss their peeps!
The peeps are the best part!
i was dozing on my couch this evening with my door open so i could listen to the rain. Suddenly..EEP EEPEEP EEP!! Two of those cute little fellows came hoping into my living room. I didn’t want to hurt them , or let my very interested cat get them, so I spent 35 giggling minutes herding frogs n warding off the cat. As I opened the screendoor to let them hop out..in hopped another..EEP!
I finally got them all out with no casualties. LOL
I know it isn’t macho but, I love bunnies, squrills, and all little cute critters.
Hi Jerry! That is a great story. You must have a bunch of frogs around your house. Of course, the rain will encourage them to go where they don’t usually go. I’m very glad that you saved the little critters from your kitty.
Hey, who needs macho? It’s wonderful that you love the cute little critters!
Thanks so much for commenting here… and welcome! I hope to see you again soon…
-Nancy
Jerry: what a wonder story and experience. My husband once had a tree-type frog climbing up his living room window. Thanks for sharing on beaknfeathers website.
Hi Phylor, The tree frogs are always a wonder with those teensy little pads on their toes that enable them to be tiny little acrobats. Your husband is lucky to have seen one of these little critters close up. That’s a cute story.