7 Types of Tree Frogs in Indiana (Pictures)

Many different species of Tree frogs can be found throughout the United States. They are also popular pets with their smooth, moist skin and ability to climb trees and other surfaces. They rely on the sticky pads on their toes and fingers to provide a good grip when hanging out on high branches. These frogs can be found in various colors and are also known for their ability to change color based on the surrounding temperature or time of day.

Indiana’s habitat is filled with deciduous forests and plenty of water bodies that make ideal locations for tree frogs to live and breed. The state has two rivers forming its boundary and 19 natural lakes, including Lake Michigan in the northwest. Read on to learn interesting facts about 7 tree frogs in Indiana and the habitats where you can find them.

7 tree frogs in Indiana

1. Blanchard’s cricket frog

Scientific name: Acris blanchardi

Blanchard’s cricket frogs have a warty tan, olive green, brown, or gray skin with darker bands on their legs. They have a distinctive dark triangular mark on their head between their eyes. These frogs grow between 0.6 to 1.5 inches long.

Although part of the tree frog family, they prefer spending most of their time in water and on the ground. You can find them throughout Indiana in or near permanent water bodies, such as lakes, ponds, bogs, marshes, and slow-moving streams and rivers. Occasionally, these Indiana tree frogs can also be spotted in drainage ditches or flooded fields, showcasing their adaptability to diverse aquatic habitats.

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2. Green tree frog

Scientific name: Hyla cinerea

Green tree frogs are between 1.25 and 2.5 inches long and range in color from bright green to yellow-green or greenish-gray depending on the temperature. Their call is a nasal reenk or quank sound that they repeat at irregular intervals.

In Indiana, you can find them in the southwestern counties along the Ohio River, especially in cypress-buttonbush swamps. These frogs are known to choose their prey based on their activity level, not size. They prefer highly active flying insects.

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3. Eastern gray tree frog

Scientific name: Hyla versicolor

Eastern gray tree frogs are mottled grey, brown, and green with whitish spots underneath each eye. Unlike most tree frogs, they have bumpy skin. Their call is a slow, melodic trill that’s somewhat birdlike.

You can find them most prevalent in northern Indiana in various habitats, including woodlands, forests, swamps, and backyards. These frogs stay in treetops, coming down only to breed in woodland ponds without fish. However, they are also known to breed in garden water features.

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4. Cope’s gray tree frog

Scientific name: Hyla chrysoscelis

The Cope’s gray tree frog coloring ranges from mottled gray to light green, depending on their environment. They are large tree frogs that reach around 1.25 to 2 inches long. Although another species of gray tree frog, their call is faster and more abrupt than the eastern gray tree frog.

This species is also more prevalent in southern Indiana regions. However, the range of the two gray tree frog species will overlap in central Indiana. They can be found in woodlands, rural areas, and suburban habitats, including in flooded flower pots and near building lights to eat insects at night.

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5. Spring peeper

Scientific name: Pseudacris crucifer

Spring peepers are small 1-inch frogs with a distinctive X pattern on their backs. They are usually brown, tan, or orangeish. They get their name from the single “peep” call they make, repeating every second.

Spring peepers live throughout Indiana in wetlands and small pools and are commonly found in suburban and rural areas. The populations in the northern part of the state are typically larger than those in the south.

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6. Western chorus frog

Scientific name: Pseudacris triseriata

Western chorus frogs have smooth green to gray or tan skin with gray or dark brown stripes. They grow around 1.6 inches long and make a unique rapid and short sound that resembles running your finger over the teeth of a comb.

In Indiana, you can find these frogs widespread throughout the state in meadows, woodland ponds, grassy pools, swamps, and marshes. Breeding occurs in water bodies without fish, such as roadside ditches, shallow ponds, and flooded fields.

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7. Boreal chorus frog

Scientific name: Pseudacris maculata

The Boreal chorus frog is a small, smooth-skinned frog varying in color from greenish-gray to brown. They have a dark stripe through their eye and grow between 0.75 and 1.5 inches long. Although their breeding call is similar to the western chorus frog, it is much slower and longer in pulse rate.

Their populations in Indiana are restricted to the northwestern and western counties. They prefer woodland ponds and forest openings but can also be found in large river floodplains.