It is the first warm spring day and just as the sun starts to set, the air comes alive with high pitched peeping and what sounds like ducks quacking in the woods. That is when you know spring has officially arrived. The sounds are coming from two types of small frogs: spring peepers and wood frogs.

It is unbelievable how loud a peep can come from such a small body that is the spring peeper. Barely an inch long, their peep can be heard almost a mile away. And when they get going as a group the sound can be deafening. The duck-like chuckle of the wood frog often has people wondering what kind of waterfowl quacks in the woods at night. The wood frog, about 2 inches long, is easy to distinguish from peepers by its larger size and dark eye patches (see photo above).

Both these kinds of frogs are in a hurry to find a mate and breed. Sometimes there is still ice on the small vernal pools that they use for breeding habitat. They are in a rush to get their young going before these temporary water bodies dry out. Their young take a scant eight weeks to go from jelly-like egg masses to wiggling tadpoles to full fledged frogs.

Many more types of frogs sing in Maine throughout the spring and summer. How well do you think you know their calls? Takes a Frog Quiz and find out! The USGS has a website where you can test your auditory skill! Go to http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/frogquiz/ click on the Public Quiz tab and follow the directions. Be prepared! It's a toughy!