Who's Your Froggy?

Hear frogs and toads calling? That means our Michigan wetlands ─ vernal ponds, marshes, bogs, swamps, wet meadows and lakes ─ are healthy enough to support these amphibious friends.




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Wood Frog

Habitat
Woodlands including temporary ponds, bogs and floodings
Calling
Early spring -- late March to early April

Needs moist, shady environs for breeding; very short breeding period of 7 to 10 days

wood frog

Spring Peeper

Habitat
Swamps, woodlands and overgrown meadows
Calling
March through May

Spring Peepers are tiny, only 0.75" to 1.38" and most have an x-shaped mark on their back

spring peeper
(sound clip includes Spring Peepers)

Midland Chorus Frog

Habitat
Vernal ponds, flooded fields, ditches, wooded swamps
Calling
As early as mid-March

Can be common even in farming and suburban areas

western chorus frog

Boreal Chorus Frog

Habitat
Rocky shoreline/bedrock and boreal forest
Calling
Early May to mid-July

Native to Canada, the Boreal Chorus frog is found in Michigan only in Isle Royale

boreal chorus frog
(sound clip includes American Toad)

Northern Leopard Frog

Habitat
Marshes, meadows and grassy edges of waterways
Calling
Typically in April

A favorite of farmers and gardeners, this frog feeds mainly on insects

northern leopard
**Species of Special
      Concern in MI**

Pickerel Frog

Habitat
Grassy or marshy edges of bogs, lakes, springs and streams
Calling
April and early May

Highly sensitive to changes in water quality, Pickerels disappear quickly from polluted waters.

pickerel

American Toad

Habitat
Open woodlands, wood edges, meadows, marshes and suburban gardens
Calling
Early April to early May

Toads can inflate themselves with air to enlarge their bodies when threatened

american toad
(sound clip includes Spring Peepers)

Eastern Gray Treefrog

Habitat
Damp woods and wooded swamps
Calling
Late April through June

Nearly identical in appearance to Cope's Gray. Can be easily distingushed only by their calls

eastern grey
(sound clip includes Eastern Gray Treefrog)

Cope's Gray Treefrog

Habitat
Damp woods and wooded swamps
Calling
Late April through June

Nearly identical in appearance to Eastern Gray. Can be easily distingushed only by their calls

copes grey tree frog
**MI Threatened
       Species**

Blanchard's Cricket Frog

Habitat
Edges of permanent ponds, lakes, floodings and streams
Calling
Late May through mid-July

Most Blanchard's Cricket Frogs have a dark, backward-pointing triangular-shaped mark between the eyes

blanchards cricket frog
**Species of Special
      Concern in MI**

Fowler's Toad

Habitat
Open woods and fields, especially those with sandy soil
Calling
Mid-May to mid-June

The warts on these toads are usually in groups of three or more

fowlers toad

Green Frog

Habitat
Most inland waters
Calling
Mid-May well into summer

Distinguished from the bullfrog by the dorsolateral line, a fold of skin starting back of each eye and extending to the rear legs

green frog
(Green Frog calls in background)

Mink Frog

Habitat
Ponds, bogs, lakes, slow-moving streams or backwaters
Calling
Early June through July

In Michigan the Mink Frog is found only in the Upper Peninsula

mink frog

Bullfrog

Habitat
Permanent ponds, lakes, marshes, sloughs and impoundments
Calling
June to early July

Bullfrogs are Michigan's largest frog, measuring from 3.5 to 8 inches

bullfrog



©2020 Bingle LC    All rights reserved.

Frog facts from "Michigan Frogs, Toads, and Salamanders." James H. Harding and J. Alan Holman. Michigan State University Extension, revised edition, 2015

Development Team

Kathy Ableson

Designer/Developer

Bingle Web

120 E Hudson Ave

Royal Oak, MI 48067 USA

kableson@outlook.com

James H. Harding

Instructor/Herpetology Specialist

Department of Integrative Biology

409 W Circle Dr

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI 48824-1045 USA

517.353.7978

Sally Petrella

Volunteer Monitoring Program Manager

Friends of the Rouge

650 Church St, Suite 209

Plymouth, MI 48170 USA

spetrella@therouge.org

Ian Ableson

Stewardship Manager

Jess Getschman

Certified Interpretive Guide

Frog facts from "Michigan Frogs, Toads, and Salamanders." James H. Harding and J. Alan Holman. Michigan State University Extension, revised edition, 2015

©2020 Bingle LC.  All rights reserved.

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