One of the things I love about summer in Florida is the frogs. On my little farm there are several good sized water troughs, a small pond, and a swimming pool, so there are plenty of frogs. Of all the frogs we get my absolute favorite is the green tree frog. They’re smaller than some of the other frogs, and I think they are very cute. They are pretty shy and mostly nocturnal, so you don’t see much of them during the day. But as the sun goes down they come out and they are hungry! They love to cling to outside walls and windows and hunt insects attracted by the light. If they find a good spot the same frog will be there night after night. Just like the spiders, these little guys can eat several times their body weight in insects every week.

During the day you can usually find these little guys hiding in the water, behind shutters, or in other small cool spaces. During the summer breeding season, the males, who are a bit smaller than the females, will cry out with a distinctive mating call that attracts the females. Males will breed as many females as possible in a single season, and they are particularly active after a rain. Sometimes in our neighborhood, after an evening thunderstorm, the woods are literally hopping with these guys.

They range from southern New England, down the east coast and west along the gulf coast into Texas. I guess I’m not the only one who really finds these little frogs to be pretty cool since they are the official state amphibian for both Louisiana and Georgia.