August 6, 2020 at 4:59 p.m.
What are the frogs doing?
What are the frogs doing?
A recent Wetland Coffee Break from the Wisconsin Wetlands Association was all about frogs and what they are doing in the mid-summer months. Rori Paloski from the Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation was the presenter.
The answer to the question of what frogs are doing right now depends on the species of frog. Wisconsin is home to 12 different species, I learned while watching this Coffee Break. We have tree frogs, "true" frogs, and one species of toad. One species, the Blanchard's cricket frog, is on the endangered list, while two others, the pickerel frog and the mink frog, are species of special concern.
Before I get into where frogs are in the summer months, one of the cool things I learned, which I guess I never thought about before, was that we can often see frogs as they start their metamorphosis from tadpole into frogs with small back legs that eventually grow larger. But when we see a frogs front legs, they are fully grown. We never see frogs with small front legs. That is because their legs actually grow to full size before they come out of their body. Paloski said she has been lucky enough to see the legs emerge from the sack in their body where they develop. I think that would be the coolest thing to see.
Of course, there are other cool things about frogs, such as the species that overwinter under leaf litter and can freeze completely, to the point where their lungs and heart even stop functioning until they thaw. How could someone not be intrigued by animals that have such cool and interesting things happen to them throughout their life cycle?
During the summer, frogs can be found in a variety of places. Leopard frogs, Paloski said, can forage as far as two miles from the water. That is quite the distance for such a small animal. Other species, like the pickerel frog, another early season breeder, stay close to water for their whole lives. When frogs move upland, Paloski said, different species prefer different types of habitat.
The leopard frog prefers more open, grassy areas while the wood frog, as the name implies, prefers more of a wooded habitat. Even though it would seem that leopard frogs would be easier to find because they like more open areas, Paloski said finding these little guys can still be like looking for a needle in a haystack. It makes sense, when we think about it, as they still want to disguise themselves from any possible predators.
The early season breeding species are not usually found in large densities at this time of year, but they can still be seen if a person looks hard enough.
The mid-season breeders' tadpoles are just metamorphosing into juvenile frogs at this time of year. Tiny toads can often be seen in large numbers during this time. Paloski said she has heard reports of as many as 50 small toads together in one place as they become juveniles. They will start dispersing in mid-summer, too, and start to forage in the uplands.
While toads are habitat generalists, and will make use of many types of habitat, tree frogs are often seen this time of year on buildings and near lights. They are often seen on houses, decks, garages, and near outdoor lighting, Paloski said. Tree frogs can change colors to suit their surroundings. They do not do this as quickly as a chameleon will, however. The process can take a couple hours, she said.
In the area of late-season breeders, at this time of the year males are often still calling and females are still laying eggs. Some tadpoles are metamorphosing already, too. That is the case for most of these species.
Another interesting fact I learned, which I suppose, if I would have thought about it, I would have known on my own, is the tadpoles of green frogs, bullfrogs and mink frogs take one to two years to metamorphose. These are much bigger frogs, of course, and thus take longer to grow to a size where they make the change from tadpole to frog.
Once these frogs are adults, most will be found in or close to water. The mink frog spends its entire life in the water, but the bull frog may be seen on land or in the water. Cricket frogs and green frogs may be found in the upland area frequently, but will also be seen in the water.
Paloski spoke about the Wisconsin Frog and Toad survey, which has several parts. One of them is the standard survey, where volunteer citizen scientists conduct a spring early summer and lake summer survey and report results. Another is the phenology survey where volunteers pay specific attention to when calling of certain species starts and stops. The aim here is to learn how breeding of different species may be affected by a warming climate. The third part of the survey is specific to the mink frog, which is in northern parts of the state. More information about the survey can be found at dnr.wi.gov or on the Wisconsin Aquatic and Terrestrial Resources Inventory website, wiatri.net.
One word of warning Paloski gave was also new information to me. Of course, during the winter, frogs breathe through their skin. They also absorb things through their skin all summer long, she said. Handling frogs should be avoided any time we have DEET or sunscreen on our hands for that reason. While she said she is all for handling frogs and learning about frogs, she has seen frogs die almost instantly when enough of either of those substances is on the hands of the handler.
For those interested in watching the Wetland Coffee Break from July 17, a recorded version of the webinar can be found on the Wisconsin Wetlands Association website, wisconsinwetlands.org.
Beckie Gaskill may be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].
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