Though their colour palette isn’t nearly as diverse or as fast-acting as a chameleon’s, this little frog is known for its green, gray, and brown colouring. They have white patches under each of their eyes and have a bright yellow-orange colour under their thighs. Like most treefrogs, they too have large suction-cup-like toe pads.

The grey treefrog is often mistaken for cope’s gray treefrogs, spring peepers, and chorus frogs. In fact, they are practically identical to the cope’s gray treefrog and can only be told apart by their call. The gray treefrog has a short, flute-like trill, while the cope’s gray treefrog has a faster, higher-pitched trill. 

Would you challenge this treefrog to a game of hide and seek?

The gray treefrog is rarely seen outside of its breeding season. Their hiding spots of choice are holes in trees, underneath bark, in rotten logs, and under leaves and tree roots. In the winter, they’re known to hunker down beneath leaves and snow.  

These tiny creatures have been spotted on walls of buildings, basking in the insect-inviting light. But even though they are out of their element, their ability to mask themselves against brown and grey brick and cement tones makes spotting them tricky. 

Let’s stand up for the little guy

Living up to its name, they can be found at the top of even the tallest trees. Their excellent camouflage skills and love of hanging out in trees mean that their populations are at risk when it comes to deforestation. Treefrogs depend on forests. Habitat loss and degradation due to clearcutting, roads, agriculture and urbanization are serious threats to these frogs.

It’s our job to stand up, stay updated and aware of what we can do for creatures big and small. Subscribe for updates on conservation and campaign efforts, advocacy opportunities, and more.