Wood Frog

​Identification:

In eastern and southern Kentucky forests, the Wood Frog is usually the earliest frog to begin calling each year. When the first warm weather fronts start to move across the state, which can be just about any time from mid-January to March, Wood Frogs come out of hibernation and travel to woodland ponds and vernal pools to mate and lay their eggs. The first males often arrive at breeding sites during the day, and calling begins almost immediately. As soon as egg-laying has been completed, Wood Frogs disappear into the woods for the remainder of the year.​

During most years, cold weather returns after the Wood Frogs have bred, and ice may cover the breeding ponds. The cold may kill many eggs, but eggs deeper in the water continue to develop and survive. This is the price a frog must pay when you try to get the jump on all other frogs by laying your eggs early!

Wood frogs are medium-sized as frogs go (up to 3 ½ inches long). They can be dark brown to tan or orange-brown and blend well with the forest floor. Each Wood Frog has a chocolate-colored band resembling a mask on each side of the face. Wood Frogs can be found across much of Kentucky east of Land Between The Lakes, but these frogs are mostly absent from the Bluegrass Region and scarce through the Western Coal Field. However, it is one of the most common frogs found throughout eastern and southern Kentucky and in the Mammoth Cave region.

A chorus of wood frogs from a distance sounds like a squadron of squabbling ducks.