All of you are in for a nice treat this week.  I am heading to Vancouver for a few days so you know what that means, right?  Time for another Wild Facts Theme.  This week we are going to keep it simple and learn a little more about natures indicator species.  Yep, we are going to look at some frog species all week and we are starting it off with one of my favourites, the Spring Peeper.  I love the fact that this frog is so small yet can be heard for miles.  Add to that the fact that they are a sign of spring and well, they top the list of frog species for me.

So just how small is a spring peeper? Would you believe me if I told you they were about 2.5 cm (1″) long?  That pretty much puts them around the size of a paper clip, and not even those large paper clips for big stacks of paper.  Because of their small size and impressive camouflage, the Spring Peeper is usually a frog that is heard but rarely seen.  I should probably tell you where to look for them just in case you are thinking of going on a Spring Peeper expedition in a few months.  The Peepers are usually found in grassy lowlands or wooded areas near ponds and other wetlands.  Of course, since they are nocturnal frogs you may want to wait until the night falls before heading out on your search.

During the spring these little frogs all come together for the annual mating ritual.  Naturally, this is why they are so loud during those first few months of spring.  Once a pair mates and the eggs are laid in the water, they basically hang out in the woods for the rest of the summer.  Once winter rolls around these little frogs will take shelter under a log or behind some loose bark.  At this point they basically let their bodies freeze as they hibernate throughout the winter months.  For most animals, letting your bodies freeze is not a very smart plan but it works for this little frog.  Luckily, they thaw out with the warm weather of spring.  How is that for a cool party trick?

Before we finish this Fact, I wanted you to listen to the most amazing sound of spring.  Here is a single Spring Peeper celebrating that he actually thawed out after a long, cold winter.  Nah, that isn’t true, he is just trying to find a girlfriend.

I can listen to that all day!  Well, that just about does it for the first Fact of the week.  See all of you tomorrow.