A Wood Frog chorus member

We went for a walk today in a wooded area with some swamps as well.  A woman we passed on the walk directed us to the swampy area to hear the 'bullfrogs'. The chorus was amazing it sounded like thousands of frogs. When we saw them they looked much smaller than I imagined bullfrogs would look, so I did some searching online to find frogs common to New England with those characteristic lines on their backs. I believe this guy is a Wood Frog.

Wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) gather together in large leks to mate. In these leks, males are much more common than females, typically outnumbering females by at least two to one. The males arrive first, and begin calling and wrestling with each other. As female wood frogs arrive at the ponds, they swim toward the center of the lek. As the females enter the leks, multiple males will grab them, clinging to each female until one male wins out. This particular mating behavior, in which the male clings to the female, is known as amplexus. The females will typically each lay a single egg clutch consisting of about 400-1,200 eggs.
All text and photographs © Michael F. Benard



We had a great walk on a really warm and sunny day. The spot where we walked has wooded trails and roads free of cars for walking and biking. A friend joined us and it was a lovely outing. Saturday was just as nice , a great weekend to begin the spring season.


For the Record,
This day came in sunny and warm. A perfect day for a walk in the woods.


The extra is a fox we spied by our path in our own woods as we were sitting on the patio. I only managed to get the back of it's head before took off up the path. It's tail looks hairless and mangey, very sad looking.