Where’s Wildlife · Frog & Toad Field Guide
Dryophytes versicolor
Pronounced (approx.): dry-OFF-ih-teez VER-sih-kul-er
A bark-patterned climber that may be gray, brown or green.
Gray Treefrog. Select the photo to browse the gallery.
NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA
Lengths are snout to vent; season and activity vary with weather and location.
Expanded round toe pads for climbing
A pale patch beneath each eye
Mottled, slightly bumpy skin; hidden thighs yellow-orange
Compare views, markings and body shapes in the photographs below.
Check toe pads and the pale under-eye patch instead of relying on color. Gray Treefrogs can look green, and young frogs are often especially green.
Cope’s Gray Treefrog (Dryophytes chrysoscelis) is externally almost identical. Calls assessed with temperature, or genetic evidence, are needed for a confident separation. The photographs here retain their existing label; the quiz tests recognition of the Gray Treefrog type.
Woodlands and wooded neighborhoods near breeding pools. Adults feed on insects, spiders and other arthropods. Mostly nocturnal; often rests on vegetation by day.
Adults forage among trees and shrubs and return to water to breed. Females attach small packets of eggs near the surface. Tadpoles develop in the pool before young frogs move onto vegetation.
The same kind of treefrog may appear gray, brown or green.
Bright inner thighs are often concealed while the frog rests.
The two gray treefrog species have different call rhythms.
Native to eastern North America, including the Great Lakes region. Its range overlaps Cope’s Gray Treefrog, so appearance or a broad regional map cannot settle the identification. Observation maps show reported encounters, not the entire range.
Explore reported sightings on iNaturalist. Observation records are not a complete range map.