Do you have a frequent amphibian visitor to your yard or you have spent the day out in nature with the family and wanted to identify a frog you saw on your excursion? There are eleven tree frogs you may come across in Texas.
Continue reading for detailed information on the tree frogs, helping you identify them with confidence.
1. Blanchard’s Cricket Frog
The Blanchard’s Cricket Frog (Acris Blanchardi) is from the family Hylidae, a small frog, dark in color and endangered in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
If you were in the wetlands, near a pond, or in a field, you may have come across one of these tree frogs. They have a short one-year lifespan.
This is a warty frog, that is brown, tan, gray, or green in color and has dark bands on the legs. Most of these frogs have a dark triangle between their eyes. They only grow up to 0.6 inches / 1.5 centimeters in length. They enjoy slow-moving or stagnant water.
The Blanchard’s Cricket Frog hibernates during winter with tadpoles emerging in the summer months. The males make a distinctive clicking call during mating season.
2. Green Tree Frog
The Green Tree Frog (Dryophtes Cinereus) also belongs to the Hylidae family, often found in back yards. It is the state amphibian for Louisiana and Georgia.
These green frogs are medium-sized and come in a host of green colors from lime green to yellow/olive coloration. They grow up to six centimeters or 2.5 inches in length and have smooth skin with a white or pale yellow belly.
The Green Tree Frog can be found in west and central Texas, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, and more.
These frogs can be found in long grasses, small ponds, and large lakes, as well as streams and marshes, they are often found in swimming pools in the backyard.
These are small nocturnal frogs that are frightened easily.
3. Squirrel Tree Frog
The Squirrel Free Frog (Dryophytes Squirellus) is a small tree frog that is found from Texas through to Virginia, they have also been introduced into the Bahamas.
These are small frogs growing up to 1.5 inches in length with a host of color variations. The most common color is green, similar to a Green Tree Frog, except they can also be brown, with brown or yellow blotches.
They are aggressive feeders eating insects and other inverts. They can be found in a range of habitats which include urban areas, pine and oak groves, wooded areas, swamps, and fields. They always breed in wetlands, where they feel safe from predators.
4. Gray Tree Frog
The Gray Tree Frog (Dryophytes Versicolor) is a small frog native to the eastern US and southeastern Canada.
These frogs vary in color with the ability to camouflage themselves against predators, which means they can range from gray to green, depending on what substrate they are on.
The Gray Tree Frog is identified by its dark band pattern on the legs which have black markings with orange or bright yellow on the sides of the arms and legs.
Female gray tree frogs have a white throat, males have a blow, brown, or gray throat during the mating season. Females tend to be bigger than the males with these frogs growing between1.5 inches and 2 inches / 3.8 centimeters or 5.1 centimeters in length with warty-looking skin.
These frogs live in a wide range of locations including forested areas and residential areas. They are nocturnal and are often found around the porch light or window, where they are attracted to the insects that are coming for the light.
5. Spring Peeper
The Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) is common in the eastern United States and throughout Canada. These frogs are named for the call they make at the beginning of spring.
There are two species of Spring Peeper, the northern species which can be found in eastern Canada and the eastern US. The Southern Spring Peeper can be found from South Georgia and North Florida to Southeastern Texas.
These frogs are brown or tan in color with a cross that is formed on their back. These small frogs grow anywhere from 2.5 centimeters to 3.8 centimeters / 0.98 inches to 1.5 inches and weigh up to five grams.
They come in a variety of colors with most of these tree frogs being olive green, gray, or brown in color.
Females tend to be lighter in color with males being smaller with darker throats. The inside of the thighs is a pale yellow, whether male or female. Males make a high-pitched noise which is used to attract prospective mates.
Spring Peepers are nocturnal and eat small insects such as ants, spiders, flies, and beetles. They hunt in low vegetation.
These frogs have a very high-pitched call and it’s loud, which is why they are known as Spring Peepers. They are usually heard once the ice has melted on the wetlands.
6. Cope’s Gray Tree Frog
The Cope’s Gray Tree Frog (Dryophytes chrysoscelis) is also known as the Southern Gray Tree Frog. These frogs are gray in color with gray-green and they resemble the bark you find on a tree.
They have a fast, high-pitched call and what sets them apart from other tree frogs is the bright yellow and orange patches that can be found on the hind legs.
The secretion that comes out of the Copes Gray Tree Frog skin could irritate the eyes and mouth.
These frogs tend to call mostly during the breeding season from May through to August and can often be heard calling in groups. These tree frogs are known to have survived extreme temperatures, dropping as low as -8ºC.
7. Spotted Chorus Frog
The Spotted Chorus Frog (Pseudacris clarkii) is also known as Clark’s Tree Frog. This is a small frog that can be found in the prairies and grasslands in Central US and Mexico.
These nocturnal frogs are usually olive-green to gray in color with light green patches on their backs. Their bellies remain white. They are small frogs growing to four centimeters.
8. Canyon Tree Frog
The Canyon Tree Frog (Dryophytes arenicolor) is a medium-sized frog that grows up to 5.5 centimeters or 2.2 inches.
They tend to be gray/brown, gray/green, or brown in color with dark patterns or blotches. They tend to match the coloration of their location.
These are nocturnal, carnivorous frogs and can be found in rocky habitats and semiarid areas that are not too far from a permanent water source.
9. Strecker’s Chorus Frog
Strecker’s Chorus Frog (Pseudacris streckeri) is native to the south-central US. This nocturnal tree frog grows up to 1.5 inches or 3.5 centimeters.
The color can vary from brown to green and light gray with dark patches with a dark spot running under the eye. They have a white underside with an orange or yellow groin area.
10. Cajun Chorus Frog
The Cajun Chorus Frog (Pseudacris fouquettei) can be found in the Southeastern US. These small nocturnal frogs vary in color from light gray to green or brown. The underside tends to be much lighter, usually white.
They can be found in wetlands and forest areas, never too far from water. It’s not uncommon to find these little nocturnal frogs in your yard.
11. Common Mexican Tree Frog
The Common Mexican Tree Frog (Smilisca baudinii) can be found in forested areas. This nocturnal frog can be found in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
They are gray to brown in color with dark brown patches. The underside remains lighter in either gray or white with the legs displaying large bands.
Please note the Common Mexican Tree Frog is considered a threatened species in Texas.
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