A midland chorus frog (Pseudacris triseriata) emerges after the recent frequent rains, chirping loudly on a warm evening. This male was one among hundreds vocalizing furiously. Spring peepers are one of the first amphibians to call in the spring in Missouri, along with the “everpresent” eastern toad (Bufo americanus). Once a male attracts and secures a female in amplexus, the female will lay up to 1000 eggs that hatch just a week or two later. Spring peepers prefer stagnant shallow pools of water for breeding and are commonly found in marshes, ponds, and ditches. However, due to Pseudacris‘ diminutive size (~3cm in length), they can be easily overlooked. During the winter, spring peepers hibernate in small refuges within logs and tree bark. When temperatures drop below freezing, glucose levels are elevated throughout the body as a cryoprotectant, a mechanism that reduces freezing mortality. Mobilization of glucose is facilitated by stores of glycogen that accumulate in the liver and muscle tissue prior to overwintering.
