Have you ever walked past a pond or a swamp at night during the spring and heard a high-pitched ...

March 23, 2020

Have you ever walked past a pond or a swamp at night during the spring and heard a high-pitched peeping sound coming from about a million different sources? What you heard was the appropriately-named spring peeper (Psuedacris crucifer). These little guys (they can grow a hair over an inch long) are chorus frogs that breed during the early spring, and they're among the very first frogs that begin calling when the weather starts to turn warm. They prefer to live in the woods near bodies of water, and they emerge at night to hunt for insects (and in this case, hang out on my back porch). The genus name "Psuedacris" means "false locust," while the species name "crucifer" is derived from the Latin for "cross-bearing." This is because spring peepers are easily identified by the cross-like pattern that usually appears on their backs. #BenInNature

About this post: Social distancing can be difficult, but the next few weeks present a great opportunity to become reacquainted with nature. While he is working from home, Administrator of Science Ben Williams is venturing outdoors each day to record a snapshot of the unique sights that can be found in the natural world.

This post brought to you by VMNH Corporate Partner King's Grant Retirement Community.