Vermont Amphibian Calling Times

Different frog species call (or sing, or chorus) at different times throughout the spring and summer.

The charts below show our data of what Vermont-resident species are calling throughout the year. The earliest dates we have on file are in March; the latest in August. These data include only breeding calls from breeding habitat and not the other types of calls that Vermont frogs occasionally make.

Some species such as Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) and Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens) can occasionally be heard calling on warm fall days. This is usually not from breeding habitat but rather from the foraging habitat and the calls are either weaker versions of the spring call, or in the case of the Spring Peeper, a slightly different call. On one occasion I (Jim Andrews) heard an entire chorus of Spring Peepers calling from breeding habitat on a wet and warm Thanksgiving day in Leicester, Vermont. Gray Treefrogs (Hyla versicolor) will often call during the day from their foraging habitat in trees before and after their breeding seasons as long as the temperature is very warm (>70°F).

If the weather is unseasonably mild, even late-breeding species may begin to call much earlier than would normally be expected. Calling times begin and end later at well-shaded locations and at higher elevations.

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Source: Caitlin Corey and James S. Andrews 2001