| Warm nights and open windows bring the return of our nightly serenade by the Green Frog who inhabits our garden pond. Initially, not knowing his identity, we referred to him as our banjo frog. The call of the Green Frog (Rana clamitans melanota) sounds remarkably like someone plucking the strings of a banjo. We occasionally spy the small (3 inches) frog’s green head peeping above water at the edge of the pond, see him jump, or hear him plop into the water. However, it is primarily his song that lets us know he’s returned each spring. You can hear the call of the Green Frog and 27 other species of frogs and toads native to North Carolina by visiting www.herpsofnc.org. An online quiz is included to help visitors learn their various calls. This website, hosted by the biology department at Davidson College with support from the National Science Foundation and others, is an outstanding resource for information about all of the alligators, lizards, salamanders, turtles and snakes indigenous to our state. Features range from a “Kids’ Herp Homepage” with fun, educational activities for your own backyard to an online “Snake ID System” with guided questions to help identify snakes found in our state and links for detailed information. |
Green Frog (Rana clamitans melanota)
Found resting in our Pieris,
probably a Brown Snake
probably a Brown Snake
The Anoles always seem interested
in what we're doing in the garden.
in what we're doing in the garden.
Henry the Bunny
