Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) are one of the first frogs to call in the spring. As soon as the snow begins to melt, the males accumulate in the vernal pools and begin to chorus, the females join them shortly after. The males will dash about the pond surface and responding to any movement or disturbance in the water, frequently bumping into each other in a race to find a mate. After the relatively short mating season, lasting up to 2 weeks, the Wood frog heads back into the forest. Unlike most frogs, the Wood frog is the most terrestrial of the family and can be found great distances from any permanent water source. Adult females may reach sizes up to 3 inches from snout to vent. Their coloration helps them blend in perfectly with leaf litter and the strong face mask and leg banding aids in breaking up the outline.
Vocalizations: An individual Wood frog advertisement call has somewhat of a raspy chuckle like quality and the sound of a chorus has been likened to a flock of Mallards. Unlike Spring peepers or Chorus frogs, the Wood Frog calls for a very short time, the duration of the strong chorus lasting but a week or so, dependent on the weather. Stragglers can be heard calling up to several weeks later, but they not as frequent in their broadcast.