Saturday, September 5, 2009

Tree Frog

I went out to check on the plants this morning and in the mini greenhouse was this odd looking toad.  I'd never seen one like this before.  It had patterning that was all light brown with a 'cross' in a slightly darker brown on it's back.  I had to prod it off one of the Baobab pots so I could take the pot out for the day.  At this point it jumped about 50cm (just under 2ft) and attached to the plastic side.  I realized this was a tree frog!  So clearly I ran back inside and grabbed my camera.  I had no idea we had tree frogs in Ontario (or Canada in general).  According to this site there are about 5 species in North America with 2-3 in Canada (excluding Mexico).  After about 20 minutes I identified this one as Hyla crucifer (Pseudacris crucifer).  This has the distinctive cross on the back hence the name.  They are found near forests and often move into the open to reach ponds to mate.  I've never been so excited to see a frog!



2 comments:

  1. Any ideas on how it may have gotten there? Is your school in a very rural area?

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  2. Actually it was at my house. I use a mini greenhouse that was on sale for $10 for the more tender plants at night. I guess I should have made that clearer seeing as I work in a greenhouse. :) The house is on the edge of the city so the surrounding area is rural. There are many patches of forest and small ponds nearby.

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