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Last Updated: 7/30/11
Introduction
Breeding
My Gray Treefrog
Photos and Videos of My Gray Treefrogs
Photos of Other People's Gray Treefrogs
Web Sites
Hyla versicolor are Hyla chrysoscelis are two species of loud gray treefrogs. Adults grow to about 2.5 inches with females noticeably larger. Most that I find are under 2 inches long. Gray tree frogs are mostly gray but can vary quite a bit in coloration from almost green to gray to white to black even. They have little bumps on their skin and webbed feet. They can use their sucker feet to climb trees, walls, and most vertical surfaces.
I had always assumed that my gray treefrogs were Hyla versicolor until I went to this site on gray treefrogs and listened to the songs of that species and Hyla chrysoscelis or Cope's gray treefrog. The ones I have sound like Hyla chrysoscelis! I am confused as to what they really are!
Here is another page that tries to help people differentiate between Hyla versicolor
and Hyla chrysoscelis:
Two Gray
Treefrogs.
From late spring to late summer, the males come out of the trees to sing like crazy. They are very loud. When females show up (fewer of them than males), they lay small (1") circular jelly-like masses of eggs. Most eggs and tadpoles get eaten if there are fish, dragonfly larvae, and other predators around. Some change to frogs in a few months and head for the trees. Fish will eat gray treefrog eggs so the adult gray treefrogs normally try to lay their eggs in shallow, fishless waters. These could be vernal (temporary) ponds, small human-made ponds, pool covers, or even puddles.
We have gray tree frogs that call from the trees from April in to the fall. In May, they come down from the trees to the pool cover to call and sometimes lay eggs. They avoid all my ponds from the 18 gallon liner pond with no animals in it to the 50 gallon tub pond with no fish to the largest 1800 gallon pond full of fish and other animals.
On 5/21/04, I removed 19 gray tree frog egg masses off of the pool cover and put them into my 50 gallon lotus tub pond. On 5/26/04, the fountain head fell off the tiny pump in there and pumped the pond dry! I doubt any tree frog tadpoles are in there. :-(
Every year, the gray tree frogs return to the pool but I only rarely find eggs on the pool cover.
Photos:
Photos are listed from newest to oldest.
These photos are from 5/6/11 when, imagine my surprise, this female gray tree frog was sitting in
the middle of the laundry room. She had been there long enough to become covered in cat hair.
I took these photos before putting her outside.
Gray tree frog - right side
Gray tree frog - top view
Gray tree frog - left side; you can
really see
the cat hair on her
Gray tree frog - top view
On 4/24/10, my father found a gray tree frog on the pool cover which he was removing. It is
probably a male as they had just started calling. I put him in a plant pot and took these
photos.
Gray tree frog - top view.
Gray tree frog - hopping away, note
the yellow under the back legs which is indicative of gray tree frogs.
Gray tree frog - top view.
Gray tree frog - my mother trying to
hold him upside down to show the yellow on the legs. It is cute how he has his little hand on her
finger, trying to grasp and get away. Do not worry. We did not hurt him, and I put him up on a
tree right after the photos to go on his way.
There was a gray tree frog on the side of our pool on 6/14/08:
Gray tree frog
Gray tree frog - view looking down
on his head
Gray tree frog on the bricks of our house on 9/3/07.
Here are two photos of a gray tree frog (female I think) that I found sitting by my pond on
10/2/05. Her back left leg was mostly gone (just blood and some bone). I do not know if she
survived.
Gray tree frog - 10/2/05, clear
photo.
Gray tree frog - 10/2/05, a bit
blurry.
Here is a photo of a male gray tree frog wedged in our pool deck on 6/9/02.
Videos:
Videos are listed from newest to oldest.
I took these two videos on 5/7/09. It was dark outside so there is no picture but black. The gray tree frogs were calling as well as a single male American toad.
Gray Tree Frogs and American Toad Calling - 4459 KB, mpg
movie.
In this one, the toad is calling for the first four seconds, and the gray tree frogs are calling
throughout.
Gray Tree Frogs and American Toad Calling - 2148 KB, mpg
movie.
In this one, the toad is calling for the first seven seconds, and the gray tree frogs are calling for
two seconds at the end.
Gray Tree Frogs - 2009 KB, mpg movie.
This video is from 7/4/07 but has no actual video, just sound (like with the video below) of the
gray tree frogs calling near the pool.
Gray Tree Frogs - 3274 KB, mpg movie.
I took a video on 6/26/06 of gray tree frogs calling on our pool
cover. I do not know how to capture just sound so there is video but the screen is just black. It
was dark outside so this video only has worth as an audio file to hear the frogs. They sounded
much louder in person!
Photos are listed from newest to oldest.
Cindy in Ohio sent these photos of "Popeye" the gray tree frog on 5/16/10. Popeye lost his right
eye. The last photo is one of the gray tree frog babies from her pond.
Gray tree frog
Gray tree frog
Baby gray tree frog
On 8/10/08, Derek sent me this photo of a gray tree frog in Massachusetts. It has more green on
it than the species that I have seen around here. Hi to Derek's six animal-loving kids!
Gray tree frog
On 6/22/08, Michelle sent these photos of a tree frog in Texas. Looking at the species of tree
frogs in Texas, only a green variant of the Cope's gray tree frog seems like an option.
Gray tree frog
Gray tree frog - note the yellow
under the back legs which is a trait of gray tree frogs
On 5/31/08, Molly sent these photos of a newly-morphed tree frog of unknown species. I am
putting it on this page simply because gray tree frogs are common so this baby could be one.
Baby tree frog
Baby tree frog
On 12/13/07, Carl sent this photo of two gray tree frogs (I think). He found them in
Pennsylvania and kept them as pets (which I do not advocate).
Two gray tree frogs
Joe sent this photo of a gray tree frog (I think) on 5/7/07:
Gray tree frog
Someone named Sam sent me four photos of little frogs, probably various tree frogs. I lost the e-
mail and details but know I uploaded them on 1/31/07.
Some little frog - on the
ground
Some little frog - in hand
Some little frog - in hand; I think
this one is a gray tree frog
Some little frog - on a stick, same
frog as last photo.
Jon sent this lovely photo of a young (newly adult) gray tree frog on 12/08/05:
Gray tree frog
Samantha sent these small photos of small tree frogs on 2/24/05. Some appear to be gray tree
frogs but some may be some other kind of tree frogs.
Tree frog - on the ground
Tree frog - not sure which species
this is
Tree frog - this one seems to be a
gray tree frog
Tree frog - on a stick but cannot
really see the frog
Tree frog - cannot really see the
frog!
Tree frog - on a stick
Here are some photos of some tree frog eggs, tadpoles, and newly morped tree frogs that Linda
sent to me on 7/7/04 and 7/27/04 (for the adults). She raised them in a kiddie pool. I do not
know if they are gray tree frogs (the adults do not look exactly like the ones I had) but could be
any kind really. The babies are definitely NOT bullfrogs or green frogs and yet, an expert insists
the eggs belong to them. They sure look like my tree frog eggs and babies to me! This is just to
let you know that the identification is not positive.:
Frog eggs
Close-up of frog eggs
Tadpoles
Tree frog
Tree frog
Tree frog and some tadpoles with
legs
These links were last checked on 6/22/10.
To see a photo of the gray treefrog and hear a call, go to this frog site .
To see another photo, hear a call, and get info, go to the Toronto Zoo site.
The Herps of Texas web site has a photo, call, and information on the gray treefrog as well.
There is a photo and call at this site too.
You can hear and see a gray treefrog at Frogs & Toad of Virginia & Maryland - this is an archived version as the site is gone now.
These two sites also have photos, calls, and information on the gray treefrog:
The Frogs & Toads of Tennessee
The Frogs & Toads of
Georgia (includes a photo of the tadpoles!)
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