Springtime is frog time! Ready for some froggy adventures? Hop to it and be a frog scout!
What frogs live near you? Now’s the time to get out with an adult and find out. Frogs are on the lookout for wet places to find mates and lay eggs, so you should be on the lookout, too. Be prepared to get wet—and maybe even a little muddy! Here are a few tips:
Listen for frogs calling for mates.
- In spring, male frogs call for females to be their mates. If you’re anywhere near a pond, marsh, or other wet area, you can’t miss their loud chorus.
- Look online or visit a local nature center to find out which frogs live near you and what their calls sound like. You can find out which frogs and toads live near you with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums website.
See if you can sneak up on a frog before it plops into the water.
Hearing frogs is easy, but, if you want to see frogs, you have to be sly.
- Quietly approach a place where you’ve heard frogs calling. If the frogs sense you coming, they’ll each jump into the water with a splash. But if you stay still, they’ll probably pop back up in a few minutes. Then you can get a good look.
If you try to catch a frog, first make sure your hands are wet and free of any chemicals. That will help protect the frog’s fragile skin. Keep the frog close to the ground, in case it gets away. After checking it out, let it go where you found it.
Check Back.
All that calling is about one thing: making more frogs. So be sure to look for eggs and tadpoles, too. First you’ll see jelly-like clumps of eggs in the water.
Later, look for little tadpoles swimming around. Come back every few days and you can watch as the tadpoles lose their tails, grow legs, and leap away as adult frogs!
FROGGY TIP: A headlamp or flashlight will help you find frogs at night, when many are most active.
Become a citizen scientist by joining FrogWatch USA! By keeping track of the frogs in your area and sharing your information, you can help frog scientists figure out how different species are doing across the country. Have an adult visit aza.org/frogwatch for more information.
- Enjoy our many frog resources.
The National Wildlife Federation has many crafts and recipes with a frog theme, so if your family enjoys observing frogs, you can extend that fun with these activities: - For teachers, we have a Call of the Wild lesson plan about frog calls and the frog life cycle.
- We also recommend Save the Frogs Day.