The Bells of Springtime

By Barbara Cole

These tiny frogs form a springtime chorus.
On a cold night near the end of winter, a lonely whistle pierces the air. It starts in watery woodlands, but the sound is loud enough to travel great distances. Days pass, and other voices join the first. By early spring, a loud, shrill chorus echoes through the night. It sounds like the jingling of a thousand bells.

What creature makes such a powerful racket? It’s a tiny tree frog—smaller than your thumb—called a spring peeper.

When peepers wake from their winter sleep, they crawl out from under last fall's leaves. Then they head for water-moist meadows and marshes, lakes and rivers, swamps and streams. There, male peepers begin their breeding season by calling for mates.

In many parts of North America, the call of the peepers is one of the first signs of spring. Because their voices sound similar to sleigh bells, the frogs have earned a nickname—the bells of springtime.

	The size and color of spring peepers can make them hard to spot in the woods.

Hikers hoping to see these noisy creatures might be disappointed. Not only are spring peepers tiny, but they also blend into their backgrounds. Their smooth skin changes color when the air temperature or light changes. Their skin color can range from tannish-gray to yellowish-brown to dark brown—the colors of tree bark and old leaves. One thing doesn’t change, and it’s a feature that sets peepers apart from other tree frogs: peepers have dark marks on their backs, usually in the shape of an X.

	With each “peep,” a male frog fills its vocal sac (the loose skin on its throat) with air.

Like most tree frogs, peepers have a large sticky disk at the end of each toe. These toe pads make it easy for them to climb straight up. Other types of frogs can’t do that. Peepers don’t climb high into the trees, but prefer to stay on low-growing plants. Because a peeper doesn’t weigh much, it can perch on a single leaf.

In the middle of spring, the trilling of the peepers begins to taper off. By the time the lilac blossoms have turned brown and brittle, most of the frogs have become quiet. Breeding season has ended, and the spring peepers have left their temporary waterside homes to return to the woods.