January - Time for a Frog Party!

 

Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla)

 

You may not have heard them last night because of the gusty wind-storm but the frog were having their annual party.  They did not care that a storm was blowing – it’s nearly mid-January and the night was warm enough to socialize. 

 

We have a wetland behind our house, man-made but effective at attracting various amphibians.  One of the most-easily attracted is the Pacific treefrog.  This frog doesn’t hibernate, it finds a sheltered place to hunker down and wait for warm nights to emerge and sing.  I have found these guys in flowerpots, between deck boards and under grill covers.  One time, deciding to be brave and grab an out-of-place object in my dark shed, I surprised us both when the object turned out to be a squishy tree frog (thankfully I had grabbed gently). 

These frogs congregate in wet places on warm nights and begin their annual chorus to attract mates.  From a distance, they sound like lovely crickets.  If you are ever fortunate to be amongst the chorus, the sound is a deafening cacophony.  The males are singing to attract mates and defend territory.  Females will lay eggs in wet areas (even if these areas are dry by summer) and males will fertilize them.

What can you do to help these little guys?

Unfortunately, amphibians are one of our most sensitive land-animals.  Their skin is especially susceptible to poisons and toxins and they are prey to cats, dogs, and invasive turtles, frogs and fish!  The first thing you can do is protect areas that are wet this time of year.  Keep them un-mowed and preferably fenced to reduce predation by house-pets.  If a wet area is on your property, you can even enhance the habitat by leaving fallen leaves and adding stumps and sticks.  One of the biggest things you can do, however, is to be mindful of what you are adding to your lawn, flowerbeds or streets that have storm drains.  Fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and things leaking from cars will enter waterways via storm drains and affect amphibian habitat.  Especially during Oregon’s rainy season (when it is cold and plant growth is slow) avoid adding fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides as these will not be taken into plant tissue very quickly and will mostly end up in our local waterways. 

You can find out more info at these websites:

Department of Fish and Wildlife (Oregon)

https://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/living_with/docs/LWW_Pacific_Treefrog_final.pdf     

https://myodfw.com/wildlife-viewing/species/frogs-and-toads