February 20, 2026
It’s late winter, and right on time, even before the Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer) begin their chirping calls, Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) have arrived. Their noisy clacking calls can be heard through my closed windows, as they call, hoping to attract a mate.
Out of the water, it’s a bit easier to see how a Wood Frog looks, complete with a robber’s mask.
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March 13, 2025
They have partied and now there are eggmasses in my vernal pool. These two clumps are the eggs of Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus). They contain from 1,000 to 3,000 eggs each. They hatch 9 to 30 days later, in part depending on the temperature of the water. Warmer water encouraging hatching more quickly. They stay at the tadpole stage of development for 8 to 12 weeks when they will metamorphose into tiny versions of Wood Frogs. In the wild the Wood Frogs life span about 3 years.
And also in the vernal pool are the eggmasses of Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum). Not as many as the Wood Frogs but easy to tell the difference and easy to spot. Each eggmass contains 30 to 250 eggs. These eggs take from 20 to 60 days to hatch. Then they become, not tadpoles but larvae. In 2 to 4 months they’ll metamorphose into terrestrial juvenile salamanders, living within about 1/2 mile of their vernal pool. Adults can live 20 years or more.
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February 28, 2025
Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) active in my vernal pool today. Males making their distinctive clacking sound to attract females. They are the earliest frogs to emerge from their winter shelters to begin mating. I see them even before Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer).
Their tadpoles develop over the course of two to three months. If they sense their vernal pool is in jeopardy of drying up, their development will speed up. The life span of the Wood Frog is about 3 to 5 years.
What a delight to have them!
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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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