Toads and Frogs in Virginia
If you are looking to identify a specific toads and frogs in Virginia and can’t figure it out from the page, you can check my Frog Identification and see how to contact me about helping you out.
Frogs in Virginia
True Frog Family – Ranidae
American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)
Common Name: American Bullfrog
Scientific Name: Rana catesbeiana
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The American Bullfrog is the largest frog in Virginia. They are found near permanent bodies of water such as large ponds, streams, and lakes. Once the males of the species reach sexual maturity, their throats turn bright yellow. They are very similar to Green Frogs but they don’t have a dorsal ridge down their back. It wraps around their tympanum.
Common Name: Green Frog
Scientific Name: Rana clamitans
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Green Frog is a medium to large sized frog. They can be commonly found near pretty much any water body such as ponds, lakes, or streams. Once the males of the species reach sexual maturity, their throats turn bright yellow. Best way to tell them apart from other true frogs below is the dorsal ridge on its back does not go all the way down its back.
Common Name: Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana kauffeldi
Location: Southeastern corner
Breeding Season:
The Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog is a medium sized green or brown frog with dark spots on its body. They have a small, feint spot on their tympanum.
Common Name: Southern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sphenocephalus
Location: Eastern half of the state
Breeding Season:
The Southern Leopard Frog is a medium to large sized frog that is brown or green in color with spots over their body. They have a white spot on their tympanum and their dorsal ridge goes straight all the way down their back.
Common Name: Pickeral Frog
Scientific Name: Rana palustris
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Pickerel Frog is a medium to large sized frog. Their dorsal ridge runs down from their eye to their back and inside there is rectangular boxes.
Common Name: Wood Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sylvatica
Location: Everywhere besides the southeastern corner
Breeding Season:
The Wood Frog is a small to medium sized frog. They vary in color from brown, silver, or red and they have dark “raccoon” eyes. When winter comes, the Wood Frog can freeze completely solid and then unthaw in spring. After breeding season, they are often found in the woods, far away from any water bodies.
Common Name: Carpenter Frog
Scientific Name: Rana virgatipes
Location: Eastern edge
Breeding Season:
The Carpenter Frog has two light bands down its back.
Tree Frog Family – Hylidae
Cricket Frogs – Acris
Common Name: Northern Cricket Frog
Scientific Name: Acris crepitans
Location: Eastern half
Breeding Season:
Common Name: Southern Cricket Frog
Scientific Name: Acris gryllus
Location: Southeast corner
Breeding Season:
The Cricket Frogs look really similar but there’s a few ways to tell them apart. The Southern Cricket Frog has a more pointed snout while the Northern Cricket Frog has a more blunt snout. The Southern Cricket Frog doesn’t have as much webbing on the back legs as the Northern Cricket Frog.
Tree Frogs – Hyla
Cope’s Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis) and Eastern Gray Tree Frog (Hyla versicolor)
Common Name: Eastern Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla versicolor
Location: Everywhere besides the southeastern corner and western panhandle
Breeding Season:
Common Name: Cope’s Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla chrysoscelis
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Gray Tree Frogs are nearly identical besides their calls and chromosome numbers. These medium sized frogs can be found perched in trees or on the side of your house. They are not always gray in color and can be green. They have yellow or orange coloration on their back legs.
Common Name: Pine Wood’s Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla femoralis
Location: Eastern half of the state
Breeding Season:
The Pinewoods Frog is a medium sized frog ranging in color from brown, gray, or green. They have orange spots on their inner thighs.
Common Name: Green Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla cinerea
Location: Eastern half
Breeding Season:
The Green Tree Frog is a medium sized, smooth skinned, green frog with a distinct white stripe down its side. Yellow specks can be found on the backs of some frogs.
Common Name: Barking Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla gratiosas
Location: Eastern half
Breeding Season:
The Barking Tree Frog is a large, bright green frog with a white line on their lip that goes down their side and coarse skin.
Common Name: Squirrel Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla squirella
Location: Southeast corner
Breeding Season:
The Squirrel Tree Frog is a medium sized, green or brown frog with a white lip and smooth skin. They can be spotted.
Chorus Frogs – Pseudacris
Common Name: Mountain Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris brachyphona
Location: Western edge of the state
Breeding Season:
Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)
Common Name: Spring Peeper
Scientific Name: Pseudacris crucifer
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
Spring Peeper and the Mountain Chorus Frog are similar but the markings on their back can be used to tell them apart. The Spring Peeper has an X on its back while the Mountain Chorus Frog has 2 backwards parenthesizes that look like )(. Sometimes they touch that can kinda look like an x but there’s also a dark triangle between its eyes that the Spring Peeper doesn’t have.
Video of a Spring Peeper calling, thanks to M Dwyer, @MustelidDwyer on twitter
Common Name: Brimley’s Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris brimleyi
Location: Eastern edge of the state
Breeding Season:
Brimeley’s Frog has a stripe through its eye and down the side. It also has no stripes on its back.
Common Name: Upland Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris feriarum
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Upland Chorus Frog has three stripes on its back that are often broken.
Common Name: Southern Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris nigrita
Location: Southeastern corner of the state
Breeding Season:
The Southern Chorus Frog has three stripes on its back but it has a more pointed snout. It also has darker markings than the other Chorus frogs.
Common Name: New Jersey Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris kalmi
Location: Accomack and Northampton counties
Breeding Season: February to April
The New Jersey Frog has three stripes on its back but they are broader and the dorsal stripes aren’t broken.
Common Name: Little Grass Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris ocularis
Location: Southeastern corner of the state
Breeding Season:
Little Grass Frog is similar to the other frogs with 3 stripes down its back but it’s smaller and has no white lines on the the lips.
The Little Grass Frog is the smallest frog in North America. Here is a video of one calling, thanks to Arik Hartmann
Toads in Virginia
True Toad Family – Bufonidae
Common Name: Oak Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus quercicus
Location: Southeastern corner of the state
Breeding Season:
The Oak Toad is the most easily identifiable toad out of the group of four. It is the smallest of the group and has a light line down its back. The Oak Toad also has orange on the bottom of its feet.
American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus)
Common Name: American Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus americanus
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The American Toad is a medium sized toad with rough warty skin that’s primary brown in color but can have some black, gray, or red coloration. Their undersides are speckled. The American Toads’s parotid gland does not touch or connected to it by a spur. The toads can be found pretty much anywhere including urban areas.
Common Name: Southern Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus terrestris
Location: Southeastern corner of the state
Breeding Season:
Common Name: Fowler’s Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus fowleri
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Fowler’s Toad is a small to medium sized toad ranging in color from brown, gray, and olive with a clear, white underside and a white stripe down its back. Its parotid gland touches its postorbital ridge.
The remaining three species of toads in Virginia are a lot harder to distinguish between. To identify the differences, you have to look at the top of the head. The Southern Toad has knobs on the back of its head. The Fowler’s Toad’s parotid gland touches its postorbital ridge around its eye while the American Toads’s parotid gland does not touch or connected to it by a spur. Here’s an easy map I found that helps me.
Narrowed Mouth Toad Family – Microhylidae
Common Name: Eastern Narrow Mouthed Toad
Scientific Name: Gastrophryne carolinensis
Location: Eastern half of the state
Breeding Season:
The Eastern Narrow Mouthed Toad is a small, smooth toad that varies in color from gray, brown, black, and tan. They have a pointy head and a fat little body.
Spadefoot Toad Family – Scaphiopodidae
Common Name: Eastern Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Scaphiopus holbrookii
Location: Eastern edge
Breeding Season:
The Eastern Spadefoot Toad is a small to medium sized toad ranging in color from tan to brown with small warts They have bright yellow eyes with elliptical pupils. They have a dark spade on their hind feet.