What's That froggy in the window?
The frog on Copper’s patio door is commonly called a green tree frog. The scientific name for a green tree frog is Hyla cinerea. You can learn more about scientific names in “The Taxonomy of Copper and the Tree Frog” section at the end of the book.
Green tree frogs can grow to around two inches in length and they have sticky toe pads which allow them to hang on to all sorts of things. They usually have a light racing stripe down their sides. Many also have orange or yellow speckles on their backs. While they live mostly in the southern United States, there are similar tree frogs nearly everywhere. Oh yeah, they are also green.
When you look, you see.
If you’d like to get a close look at a green tree frog, don’t worry. You don’t have to climb a tree. Just turn on those porch lights! Green tree frogs will sometimes congregate around lights at night to grab an easy meal from the insects that are attracted to the lights. It also helps if you’ve got some woods or water nearby. The green tree frog is usually found in the southeastern and central areas of the United States, but there are lots of other types of tree frogs which you can probably see where you live.
As an extra special treat, I am excited to share a video clip with you below of the moment when Copper met Riley, the green tree frog pressed against a pane of glass on her patio door. You even get to see a classic example of Copper’s Acute Feline Distractitis, when she has to stop for a moment and randomly clean a leg before resuming her meeting with Riley.
Hop into more tree frog knowledge!
Ready to leap into the world of tree frogs? Below are some books and links that you might enjoy.
Kids, remember to ask a parent, teacher, or librarian for help whenever you are looking for books or using the Internet. I always try to make sure to share kid-friendly books and resources, but websites are changing all the time, so always check with an adult first.
- Here is a nice summary of some of the facts about green tree frogs, including a description, habitat, habits, etc. from the University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Laboratory: https://srelherp.uga.edu/anurans/hylcin.htm
- You can learn a lot more about the frogs who live in Copper’s part of the world in Amphibians & Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia, Second Edition by Jeffrey C. Beane, Alvin L. Braswell, William M. Palmer, Joseph C. Mitchell, & Julian R. Harrison III. Check with your librarian to see if they have a copy or maybe you can talk your mom or dad into a trip to the local bookstore. This link will help them find the book at a local book shop: https://bookstorelink.com/9780807871126
- Listen to the call of a green tree frog, also from the University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Laboratory: https://srelherp.uga.edu/anurans/sounds/hylcin.mp3