You can hear spring coming as it rises up in chorus. The voices of frogs sing clearly of warmer days.
Spring peepers and chorus frogs call from shallow breeding pools on rainy and warm spring nights. Only the males call. They are luring females to the breeding ponds for mating and egg laying.
Spring Peepers are small frogs, about the size of a quarter. Their pinkish-tan bodies have a brown, x-shaped marking on the back. Peepers are found throughout much of the eastern United States. Chances are you’ve heard their call, even as early as February.
Another spring singer is the western chorus frog, a small, gray frog with dark brown stripes. You can imitate the chorus frog’s call by running your thumbnail along the small teeth of a pocket comb. Chorus frogs call on rainy nights from now through April. By late March, other kinds of frogs and toads join the nightly chorus of spring. You can see some of Missouri's singers below as well as watch a video about frogging. Sourced from herpetologist Tom Johnson
Frog Fishing 101
Looking for an adventure? Try frog fishing.
- Frogs can be hunted in Missouri using many different methods. With a fishing permit, frogs may be taken by gig, trotline, throw line, limb line, bank line, jug line, snagging, snaring, grabbing, or pole and line.
- During a full moon, frogs are typically more skittish because they feel more exposed, and are thus more difficult to approach. During a new moon, it is usually easier to get closer to them.
- Because frogs are amphibious and must keep their skin moist, they spend more time in the water and weeds during the day and are generally less visible around the banks than at night. Whether they’re hiding or not, their location is often given away by their assertive croaks.
- Waters with few to no predators will yield the best frog populations, which is why newer ponds or very old ponds are generally plentiful with frogs.
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