As April 2025 quickly progresses towards May, the thermometer readings feel like June going into July. The little creatures which live in this region are reacting to the sultry environment.
One of the many creatures which is encountered in or near freshwater are frogs in one of their developmental phases. Florida has 27 native frog species, and all can be encountered in the northern part of the state.
In south Florida there is an invasive species, the cane toad, also known as a bufo toad, which was introduced to control insects in the sugar cane fields. Unfortunately, this large toad has moved beyond the cane fields.
These amphibians are commonly broken into three classifications. Terrestrial frogs, usually called toads, spend their lives on the ground.
Tadpoles are taking advantage of the warm wet weather of April to develop into the next generation of frogs and toads. In a few days, they will have legs and lungs, but they will lose their tail.
Leaf litter, the underside of decaying logs and environments with heavy foliage cover are the usual sites where these coldblooded animals reside. Some, like the Southern Toad, even burrow into the soil.
The close quarters have several advantages for these small carnivores. First is the availability of food in the form of insects, snails and slugs, along with other small invertebrates.
A close second in importance is concealment from predators. A long list of mammals, birds and reptiles agree that toads are tasty.
Arboreal frogs live in the confines of trees and bushes, but are commonly encountered on buildings and other stationary structures. Some warm humid mornings they will scramble up to dew laden windshields, but they quickly depart when the vehicle moves.
Most species in this classification are excellent climbers with noticeably larger toepads. Their wet sticky toes help them scale almost everything, from porches to people, and they do feel a bit slimy.
As the name suggests, aquatic frogs spend a majority of their lives in bodies of water. Their toes are webbed, making them useful for swimming in waters shared by prey and predators.
With the exception of the Greenhouse Frog, a terrestrial species, all of Florida’s frogs can be encountered in an aquatic environment.
Their eggs, laid in wet habitats, quickly hatch into tadpoles. This larval state looks almost nothing like mature frogs and toads.
The football-shaped body of the tadpoles is propelled through the water with a flat tail. They are usually seen in large groups darting about erratically in their shallow pools.
The tadpole’s back legs grow first, followed by the front legs. Their lungs begin to develop during this phase, and they can be seen breaking the water’s surface for gulps of air.
At the same time, the tail will start to diminish. Before long, it will transform into the shape of a frog.
In north Florida bull frogs have the largest tadpoles, followed by the leopard frog. Occasionally, tadpoles of any species will mysteriously appear in some very unusual places, like birdbaths or kiddy pools, an occurrence which puzzles most onlookers.
This is usually caused by wading birds. Frog eggs adhere to the avian’s legs or feet and are then deposited at some out-of-the-way site when there is a stopover in civilization.
August and September are usually the conclusion of frog and toad breeding season as their instincts tell them to get ready for winter.
While sharing the cooling water resources in panhandle Florida this summer, remember it is okay if the frogs do not abide by personal space protocols. Contrary to the urban legend, there are no documented cases of warts transmitted by frogs.
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