It's hard to believe ...

March 17, 2022

It's hard to believe, but today marks two years since my very first #BenInNature post on our VMNH social media! To celebrate this anniversary, here's a photo of one of my favorite amphibians: Pseudacris crucifer, better known as the spring peeper!

Spring peepers can be found throughout a large portion of the eastern half of the U.S., and they're very tolerant of the cold. As a result, they're one of the first frog species to emerge in the spring. You can usually hear them start calling in March; it's the rapid, high-pitched "peeping" noise that you hear in wetland areas during the spring. The little guy in this photo is the very first one I spotted this year; I took this photograph on the unseasonably warm, wet night of Feb. 18!

These little frogs only grow to be about an inch long, and they blend in so well with their surroundings that they can be hard to spot even when you're surrounded by them. They tend to hunt insects at or near ground level, and they hunt both day and night. Be sure to listen for them this spring; their calls are loud enough that if you're driving past a swampy area, you only need to roll your window down!

ABOUT #BenInNature
In this series of posts, Administrator of Science Ben Williams ventures outdoors to record a snapshot of the unique sights that can be found in the natural world in hopes of inspiring audiences to get outside and explore the natural world around them!

NATURE PHOTO IDENTIFICATIONS
If you discover something in nature that you would like help identifying, be sure to message us right here on Facebook with a picture (please include location and date of picture) and we'll have our experts help you identify it!