Eastern Gray Tree Frog (Hyla versicolor)

Common Name: Eastern Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla (Dryophytes) versicolor
Family: Hylidae – Tree Frog family
Location: Canada and the United States of America
US Location: Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont,  Washington D.C., Wisconsin, and West Virginia.
Size: around 2 inches

The Eastern Gray Tree Frog is a common tree frog found along the eastern United States and Canada. They are not always gray, they can also be green due to them changing their color based on their environment. The Eastern Gray Tree Frog is identical to the Cope’s Gray Tree Frog except for their calls and the number of chromosomes.

The time period for breeding varies depending on latitude, with the lower latitudes breeding in early spring while higher latitudes breed later into summer.  The breeding period and during hibernation is the only times you will see the tree frogs on the ground, otherwise, they are up in the trees. Males will come down from the trees and start calling in shallow water. Females arrive after the calling to mate.  The females lay their eggs in the shallow water,  near vegetation on the surface. The eggs hatch a few days after being laid and tadpoles emerge. It takes around two months for the tadpoles to complete metamorphosis into froglets.

During the winter months, the frogs will come to the ground for hibernation. They will hide under rocks, leaves, and logs to escape the cold. They can even survive being partially froze.