Herpetofauna: One Life's List

Rana clamitans melanota
Green Frog

Union Co., Illinois
October 1987

These frogs are highly variable in coloration.   Oftentimes they are a bright green, but brown on the back is also common.  The Green Frogs in the photos are from central Indiana, found along a small spring-fed stream, a common habitat for them.

Their voice is best described as the pluck of a loose banjo string, a single note slowly repeated at variable times. It serves as a lovely counterpoint to the faster, more repetitive calls of other frogs.  They also utter a distress call when approached - as they're hopping into the water, it sounds like a strangled 'bleep' or 'bleeble'.  You'll know what I mean the first time you hear it!