Gray Treefrog?

Suddenly treefrog sightings! First by Glen, then by Katie, then by Susan and Pam, then by Susan and me,… Over the last week three, maybe four, cute little critters, defying gravity and quasi camouflaging into their surroundings have been identified as gray treefrogs. Do you agree?

First came the snapshot above with a text message from Katie. 

Frog passenger trying to leave Rosslyn. Putting him back. — Katie Shepard

A hitchhiker! Fortunately, she noticed before endangering the cute critter.  The following is accepted from my follow up with Katie. 

I saw as I was still in your driveway, right after I backed up and straightened the car as if to drive out, I looked out that window and saw it sitting there between window and mirror. So I stopped and got out to put it in the bushes by the back deck. Didn’t want to go, tried crawling up window. But I gently got it in tissue, then it crawled up on my hand.

[…]

I think it was definitely a treefrog with its sticky feet, and its underbelly was very bright yellow/green. Made sure to wash my hands… when I got home because I think they can irritate your skin. Thankfully fine though. — Katie Shepard

Coincidentally, Glen had spotted a similar gravity defying frog the week prior, enjoying a bit of shade under the lip of the hot tub. He too identified this shady amphibian as a gray treefrog.

And then yesterday, two more sightings. Susan spied a similar frog clinging to the side of the deck dining table in the morning, and I came across another on the hot tub, near Glen’s earlier sighting. Was it the same frog? Another? And, most importantly, are they all gray tree frogs?

Gray Treefrog, About

Let’s dive into the wiki wide web to see what we can learn about gray treefrogs. 

The gray treefrog (Dryophytes versicolor) is a species of small arboreal holarctic tree frog native to much of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada.

It is sometimes referred to as the eastern gray treefrog, northern gray treefrog, common gray treefrog, or tetraploid gray treefrog to distinguish it from its more southern, genetically distinct relative, Cope’s gray treefrog. (Source:Wikipedia)

It’s worth noting that photographs bear an uncanny resemblance to the specimens that we’ve been seeing at Rosslyn. Let’s read on.

As the scientific name implies, gray treefrogs are variable in color. This ability to vary their color provides them with the ability to camouflage themselves from gray to green or brown, depending on the environment around them. D. versicolor can change from nearly black to nearly white… The female does not call; however, the male does call. Female gray treefrogs are usually larger than their male counterparts… Their skin has a lumpy texture to it, giving them a warty appearance. (Source:Wikipedia)

Sounds pretty convincing to me. Do we have a positive identification? Are all of these climbing frogs we’ve been documenting during our day-to-day Rosslyn safari encounters gray treefrogs? I believe they are, but I’m certainly no expert. I invite readers to help set the record straight.

Gray Treefrog, Haiku

Perhaps some micropoetry to highlight this wild wonder? Here’s a haiku attempt.

Camouflaged climber
a mottled amphibian
sticky, grippy toes

Another poem, longer, about a gray treefrog might highlight the ability to blend with bark or to chirp and trill at night. And the eyes, most apparent in Katie’s and Glen’s photographs, deserve a verse at least! But I’ll save that experiment into life received confirmation that we are, in fact, witnessing gray treefrogs.