Key Characters: Smooth skin; large toe pads; white or pale yellow stripe from upper lip to groin.
Similar Species: Gray treefrogs.
Description: Medium-sized (up to 6 cm SVL) bright green, yellowish green, olive green, or lime green frog with a few small splatters of gold or white. Belly clear pale yellow to white. Male slightly smaller than female. The male has a wrinkled throat indicating a vocal pouch
Habitat: Open brushy borders of cypress swamps, floodplain sloughs, cattail marshes, lakes, and farm ponds.
Natural History: Adults and juveniles are seen on roads during and after rain. Diet consists of insects. Can change between dark and light green depending on temperature and lighting. Perches by day on upright cattail or other plant while legs are tightly tucked under body. Breeds late May to August. Males call, sometimes in large choruses, from button bush, swamp rose, lily pads, or other shoreline plants, and calls sound like a series of metallic honks, similar to cow bells or barking dogs. Eggs are laid under water surface and are attached to roots of floating vegetation. Embryos hatch in a few days and tadpoles transform in two months. Juveniles often feed in nearby grassy fields in late summer and autumn.
Status: Locally abundant in extreme southern counties where cypress and tupelo occur in dense stands. Has been introduced in a few areas north of its natural range.
Hyla cinerea Green Treefrog, Union County, Illinois
Distribution of Hyla cinerea
Purple = vouchered specimens
Light blue = photographic records
Yellow = verified sighting
Hatched = pre-1980 records only