Spring Peepers Are In The Air

Peep. Peep. Peep. Spring peepers, Pseudacris crucifer, seem to be everywhere! The herp class went to a small pond in Hueston Woods State Park in Oxford, OH on April 8, 2010. It was a cloudy, windy, rainy, and fairly cool day, with temperatures in the low 50s. As Dr. Boone was explaining to the class how it might be difficult to find herps on this cold and rainy day a spring peeper jumped right under her feet in the grass. This spring peeper was only one of two specimens the class caught at this pond.

Although that day was not the best day for finding reptiles and amphibians, a few weeks prior we went to Rush Run in Summerville, OH and found hundreds of spring peepers. There were two ponds at Rush Run located in the middle of a large field with tall grass nearly completely engulfing the ponds. The grass was so dense that at times it was hard to wade through. However, this site was perfect for finding spring peepers. The peeping of all the spring peepers were nearly deafening.

Spring peepers, Pseudacris crucifer, are small frogs ranging from .75 inches to 1 inch. The are easily distinguished by the dark "X" on their back. P. crucifer begin calling in late February/ early March and continue until late May. While at Rush Run, not only did we hear the high pitched "peeps", but we also witnessed many spring peepers mating! After mating, the female will lay approximately 900 eggs in the egg clutch.

From my experiences, spring peepers are one of the easiest frogs to find and catch in Butler County, OH. To find them, go out to ponds without fish and listen for the "peep" that gives them their name.

Posted by Tim Hake. Picture courtesy of Boone, MD (2010).