Pam’s Perspective
From the…
Pam Otto is the Manager of Natural Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District
June 22, 2012
The things you learn as when you write a nature column.
A few years ago, I didn’t know that the word fungus, for instance, made some people uncomfortable. Little did I realize that the word maggot could actually make people’s stomachs turn, nor that folks would find the word larva (which is really just another, less specific term for maggot) equally appalling. And I really had no idea that anyone would write to tell me these things.
But emails don’t lie—well, at least these kinds don’t. The message is loud and clear: Write about something cute and adorable, or else…
So today, dear readers, in the spirit of trying to not offend, disgust or otherwise repulse anyone, anywhere, I’d like to introduce you to one of the cutest, most adorable, yet perhaps most easily overlooked, member of our local fauna. Meet Hyla chrysoscelis, the Cope’s gray treefrog.
As the Kane County coordinator for the Chicago Wilderness Habitat Project’s CalliFrog Survey, I get to see, and hear about, a loof frogs. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love them all. But this little Hyla is the one nearest and dearest to my
Perhaps I feel a bit of empathy toward this pudgy creature. A member of an order that includes some very large (as in bullfrogs) and very small (as in spring peepers) specimens, the Cope’s is neither. It can’t hop nearly as well as some of its cousins, nor does its call—described as a harsh trill—sound particularly pleasant.
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But when it comes to flair, the Cope’s really turns it on. Topside, it can change color from its namesake mottled gray to bright green to assorted variations in between. Underneath, on the inside of its hind legs, the Cope’s sports a bright splash of yellow. This pigment, known as flash coloration, is thought to startle and confuse predators, functioning much the same as large eye spots on moth wings and white tails on rabbits and deer.
Then there are the Cope’s enlarged toe pads, which enable its arboreal existence and allow it to stick not only onto leaves, but also window panes, downspouts, porch columns and all manner of surfaces—including, as you can see by this week’s photo, outdoor fixtures.
Vanessa Quillinan, who lives in northwest St. Charles, snapped this pic as the treefrog lounged in the heat . Concerned about the extreme temperatures, as well as a lack of moisture, Vanessa and her family misted the little frog to help ensure its comfort, and survival. (I know a lot of us keep our bird baths full, for birds, but how many think to supply water for other creatures too? Vanessa said she also creates small puddles for frogs, toads and other crawling critters—a great idea!)
What’s neat about Vanessa’s frog is, one, its winsome pose (remember, cute and adorable is this week’s theme) and two, its apt location. Even though a light fixture is hardly a natural setting for one of our native creatures, it is nonetheless lucrative, at least for the frog. Lights at night equal masses of bugs, which translate into easy meals for the insectivorous treefrog.
But, believe it or not, what’s not so obvious is exactly what species Vanessa’s frog is. Even though today’s topic is the cute, adorable Cope’s gray treefrog, and even though Cope’s gray treefrogs are the only species of gray treefrog we’ve identified here in Kane County, there’s really no good way of telling whether Vanessa’s frog is a Cope’s just by looking.
Cope’s gray treefrogs are nearly identical to eastern gray treefrogs, H. versicolor, at least on the outside. The difference lies on the inside. Cope’s gray treefrogs have half as many chromosomes as Eastern gray treefrogs. Talk about flair!
The two species can also be distinguished by their calls. The Cope’s harsh trill sounds downright grating, kind of like a buzzer on a game show. The eastern gray’s call is a little more mellow, almost birdlike. (In fact, some literature likens it to the call of the red-bellied woodpecker.)
Given that Vanessa’s frog never uttered a peep, or trill, for that matter, we’ll just have to go with what data we have for the county and assume s/he is a Cope’s. Make that a cute, adorable Cope’s.
That probably, over its lifetime, has eaten its share of larvae.
Pam Otto, who has still never really learned how to properly end a column, is the manager of nature programs and interpretive services for the St. Charles Park District. She can be reached at 630-513-4346 or potto@stcparks.org.