Southeastern Grasslands Provide Valuable Habitat for Frogs and Toads
When you think of grasslands, are frogs and toads the first thing you think of? Probably not. In all likelihood, they aren’t anywhere close to the first things you think about. However, grasslands and grassland-related ecosystems are home to approximately 40 species of frogs and toads in the Southeast.
The crawfish frog can be found in wet meadows and similar habitats in Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. It requires the burrows of grassland crayfish as hibernating habitat, and thus is dependent on the existence of wet grassland habitat. Photo credit: John Williams, CC-BY-NC
Some of these frogs and toads, like the American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) and the green frog (Lithobates clamitans), use a wide variety of habitats. These generalist species are just as likely to be found in a wet grassland or prairie as they are in forested areas. Other species, such as Blanchard's cricket frog (Acris blanchardi), pine barrens treefrog (Dryophytes andersonii), and crawfish frog (Lithobates areolatus) are highly dependent on grassland ecosystems.
Four frog and toad species – gopher frog (Lithobates capito), Atlantic Coast leopard frog (Lithobates kauffeldi), Florida bog frog (Lithobates okaloosae), and Illinois chorus frog (Pseudacris illinoensis) – that rely on Southeastern grassland ecosystems are globally vulnerable or imperiled. A fifth species, the dusky gopher frog (Lithobates sevosus), is critically imperiled at a global level. Habitat reduction and loss of open areas are cited as part of the reason for the decline in all of these species.
Multiple other species appear to be doing fine at a global level, but are considered threatened or declining in some of the states where they are found. Sometimes the reasons for those declines aren’t entirely clear, and researchers are still trying to determine what is happening. In other cases, habitat loss is known to be at least part of the reason for the species’ decline within that state. Preserving and conserving our Southeastern grasslands, not only protects the plants that rely on those ecosystems, but also all of the animals and other organisms that live there, including frogs and toads.
Sometimes names can be deceiving. The oak toad is a grassland species, not a deep forest species. It favors pine or oak savannas and open canopied woods with grassy understories. Oak toads can be found in parts of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Photo credit: Everglades National Park, public domain
Some of the Grassland Frogs and Toads in SGI’s Focal Area*
Blanchard's Cricket Frog (Acris blanchardi)
Eastern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans)
Southern Cricket Frog (Acris gryllus)
American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus)
Fowler's Toad (Anaxyrus fowleri)
Oak Toad (Anaxyrus quercicus)
Southern Toad (Anaxyrus terrestris)
Pine Barrens Treefrog (Dryophytes andersonii)
Cope's Gray Treefrog (Dryophytes chrysoscelis)
Green Treefrog (Dryophytes cinereus)
Squirrel Treefrog (Dryophytes squirellus)
Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis)
Coastal Plain Toad (Incilius nebulifer)
Crawfish Frog (Lithobates areolatus)
Plains Leopard Frog (Lithobates blairi)
Gopher Frog (Lithobates capito)
American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)
Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans)
Pig Frog (Lithobates grylio)
Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog (Lithobates kauffeldi)
Florida Bog Frog (Lithobates okaloosae)
Pickerel Frog (Lithobates palustris)
Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens)
Dusky Gopher Frog (Lithobates sevosus)
The little grass frog can often be found sitting in grasses, sedges, or low shrubs in wet meadow, bogs, and shrubby wetlands in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Photo credit: FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, CC BY-NC-ND.
Southern Leopard Frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus)
Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)
Carpenter Frog (Lithobates virgatipes)
Brimley's Chorus Frog (Pseudacris brimleyi)
Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)
Upland Chorus Frog (Pseudacris feriarum)
Cajun Chorus Frog (Pseudacris fouquettei)
Illinois Chorus Frog (Pseudacris illinoensis)
New Jersey Chorus Frog (Pseudacris kalmi)
Southern Chorus Frog (Pseudacris nigrita)
Little Grass Frog (Pseudacris ocularis)
Ornate Chorus Frog (Pseudacris ornata)
Strecker's Chorus Frog (Pseudacris streckeri)
Western Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata)
Eastern Spadefoot (Scaphiopus holbrookii)
Hurter's Spadefoot (Scaphiopus hurterii)
* List derived from data and species descriptions found on NatureServe Explorer.
SHANNON TRIMBOLI, INTERIM DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Shannon helps the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative tell the forgotten and untold stories of our Southeastern grasslands.