Eastern Gray Treefrog

​Identification:

Eastern and Cope’s Gray Treefrogs are identical in appearance - both ranges to just over 2 inches long as adults and have large sticky toe pads that allow them to climb on just about any surface. Both have granular (almost warty) moist skin, a light-colored spot below each eye, and bright yellow to orange coloration (mottled with chocolate brown or black) on the normally-hidden inner thighs. There is often a large irregular star-shaped dark splotch on the back, but this can come or go, and some individuals are uniformly whitish, light gray, or some shade of green. The overall coloration of any one frog can vary considerably and often matches the color of the background - whitish to gray or charcoal if the frog is resting on a tree trunk or pale green to dark green on foliage. A Gray Treefrog can change color dramatically in a matter of minutes. “Tree Toad” is another name commonly used for these treefrogs.

Eastern Gray Treefrogs have only been found in northeastern Kentucky in Boyd and Greenup counties and just west of Fort Knox in parts of Meade, Hardin, and Breckinridge counties.

Eastern Gray Treefrogs mate and lay their eggs from April through the middle of August in small ponds, ditches, and temporary pools, including water-filled tire ruts. The eggs appear as small thin floating packets and hatch after just a few days, and the tiny froglets begin to leave the water within eight to ten weeks. Where the ranges overlap, Cope’s Gray Treefrogs and Eastern Gray Treefrogs sometimes use the same breeding pond, but both species' calls are easily distinguished​ by the pulse rate where they are calling together. Sometimes we hear intermediates; these are probably hybrids.

The voice of the Eastern Gray Treefrog is a very pleasant, rolling, melodious trill lasting about a half-second. The pulse rate of the trill is slow at lower temperatures but speeds up as the temperature rises, and most individual males pause for one to several seconds between calls.