February 16, 2025

Loads of big winds today making lots of noise coming through the woods. I was surprised to hear and recognize the familiar, “Clack! Clack! Clack!” despite all the sounds of the wind. That “Clack” sound is the male Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) joining in their mating call. A sound that always surprises me in the middle of winter. Frogs?

Sure enough when I looked out at my tiny pond there they were. Males cruising the surface of the pond, calling.

Wood Frogs are remarkable in that they literally freeze during their hibernation. Even in Alaska where they are the most common amphibian in the state. They choose to hibernate in leaf litter which warms up sooner than ponds where other frogs species hibernate. This allows them to emerge sooner than other frogs, during mid to late winter.

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