Florida leopard frogs

It's that time again! Although, truthfully, over most of Florida anytime is "that" time. That time is vocalization time for one of our most abundant anurans, the Florida leopard frog, Rana (Lithobates) s. sphenocephala.

Unlike the northern leopard frog that wanders so far from water that it is often dubbed the "meadow frog," our Florida form is usually not encountered more than a couple of powerful jumps away from water. But it is not awfully particular about the water source. I see it near swamps, marshes, ponds, lake edges, ditches, canals, even in our little artificial frog and minnow ponds in the backyard.

Oh, and did I mention the little halves of the rain barrels where I grow a few aquatic plants? Yep, they even call from these and are adept at jumping over the 18" walls. In other words, if there is standing water of reasonable quality the leopard frogs are quite apt to be present.

Florida leopard frogs are not bashful about advertising their presence. The chuckles and squeaks of their calls can be heard sporadically during the day and almost incessantly from dusk til midnite. They are most vocal on rainy nights.

The ground color of these profusely spotted frogs may vary from brown to bright green but is often a pale olive. (The frog in the image above is a brighter green than is usual.) All in all they are a pretty and welcome natural addition to our garden herpetofauna.

More photos under the jump...

A Florida leopard frog tadpole: A typically colored Florida leopard frog:

Author, photographer, and columnist Richard Bartlett is one of the most prolific writers on herpetological subjects in the 20th century. With hundreds of books and articles to their credit, Richard and his wife Pat have spent over four decades documenting reptiles both in the field and in captivity. For a list of their current titles, please visit their page in our bookstore.