DAILY ADVERTISER (Lafayette, Louisiana) 10 February 08 Rainy weather brings out spring chorus (Bill Fontenot)
9:02 p.m. Feb. 1
With just over nine inches of precipitation recorded for January at our place, I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the cacophonous spring peeper chorus going on outside.
It's so loud that I can hear it from inside, even with the central heat and TV blaring. Turn off those appliances, and the peeper chorus absolutely engulfs the place. Open the door or window, as I have just done, and prepare to be astonished.
What are spring peepers? Spring peepers (rare is the occasion when they are referred to in the singular) are small frogs, closely allied to tree frogs, all of which are classified within the genus Hyla. Eight different species of tree frog live in Louisiana.
Unlike the other Hyla species, spring peepers (Hyla crucifer) do not live in trees, preferring to make their living down at ground level; or at best, a short distance up perennial plants and/or low shrubs in wet, wooded situations.
Now for the "astonishing" part. Hands down, spring peepers are the champion cold weather singers of the frog world.
In weather that no self-respecting frog would find itself caught in, much less sing in, spring peepers are at their best.
Here in South Louisiana, spring peeper chorusing begins as early as November, and peaks right alongside of egg-laying, somewhere around late February.
Spring peepers are capable of singing the night away in temperatures down into the mid-30s!
Moreover, they sing in trios, with each individual holding down the note of either A, B, or G-sharp.
Further, I am personally convinced that spring peeper trios acoustically amalgamate themselves into larger groups, arranging the overall performance in parts - one chorus waiting to begin only when another dissipates, or two choruses simultaneously contra-singing, or even one chorus of a particular key perfectly embedding itself within a chorus of another group/key. Either that, or I'm crazier than a bunkhouse rat.
Rainy weather brings out spring chorus