Tree Frog

We have a new resident in our garden!  We found him living in the Louisiana Iris.  His official name is Hyla cinerea.  It’s hard to tell in this photo, but he is about 2 inches long.

This frogs natural habitat is “wet or moist areas such as swamps, lake sides, and the edges of streams. It is occasionally found in brackish water”according to the UT “Herps of Texas” site.  The area of the yard we found him in doesn’t really fit into any of those categories anymore.  When we first moved into this  house, I had to by a pump because water would stand for over a week in that area.  We called it Lake Fierke.  But we haven’t had that problem for a couple of years because we have improved to soil so much.  I’m really surprised to see this frog.

According to the UT site, our frog is nocturnal, walks rather than jumps, and feeds on insects.  That makes it a welcome guest in my book!  And according to the map, we are on the very far western edge of this frog’s habitat range.

More info from UT…”breeding occurs form March to October. Males call just before dark.  Eggs are laid in a jelly envelope attached to floating plants.”  With all the rain this week, I hope she(?) is able to lay eggs and have enough moisture for them to mature.  We have a pond, the silly frog, but I guess there may not be enough vegetation there yet.

Good luck, Froggy!