Herpetofauna: One Life's List

Pseudacris triseriata triseriata
Western Chorus Frogs

St. Louis Co., Missouri
Spring 1973

Their call is much like a thumb dragging across the teeth of a plastic comb, a metallic staccato never forgotten once heard. Back when I was a kid, I can remember little chorus frogs jumping from the bank into a small pond I could almost step over. If I stood still and waited patiently, they would soon pop their heads above water and make their way back to the bank.

They are a fairly resilient little frog; here in the middle of my home town, they have taken up residence in the retention pond in front of the big hardware store.  Driving by one summer evening, I was pleased to hear them calling, little plastic combs along the banks.