CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:45).
Sections below are the following:
Transcript of Audio
Audio Notes and Acknowledgments
Images
Extra Information
Sources
Related Water Radio Episodes
For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.).
Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 2-17-23.
TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO
From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the weeks of February 20 and February 27, 2023. This is a follow-up to a similar episode from February 2018.
SOUND - ~6 sec
That sound of a mid-February rainfall in Blacksburg, Va., opens an episode on
creatures who show up, sound off, and pair up every year, starting in mid- to
late winter, in temporary pools and other water bodies. Have a listen for
about 50 seconds to a series of mystery sounds, and see if you can guess
what animals are making this variety of peeps, clicks, clucks, and honks. And here’s a hint: the first warm rains of
each year jump-start these
creatures.
SOUNDS - ~52 sec
If you guessed frogs and toads, you’re right! Those were the calls
of the following nine frog or toad species: Little Grass Frog; Upland Chorus
Frog; Southern Chorus Frog; Coastal Plains Leopard Frog; Green Treefrog;
Squirrel Treefrog; Oak Toad; Pine Woods Treefrog; and Eastern Narrow-mouthed
Toad. These nine are part of Virginia’s
28 native species of frogs and toads. Starting as early as January for some
species—like the Little Grass Frog—frogs and toads move from overwintering
habitats to temporary pools, ponds, streams, marshes, or other wet areas, where
males use distinctive calls to attract females for breeding. As spring
arrives and progresses into summer, Virginia’s aquatic areas attract a procession
of species with different breeding and calling periods.
Whether or not the weather at the moment looks or feels like
spring, early frog and toad calls are sure signs of seasonal changes in the
air, on the land, and in the water.
Thanks to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, formerly the
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, and to Lang Elliott for permission to
use this week’s sounds, from the 2008 CD, “The Calls of Virginia Frogs and
Toads.”
We close with some music for frogs and toads. Here’s about 20 seconds of the tune of “Five Green and Speckled Frogs,” a folk song used traditionally for teaching children to count, in an instrumental version recorded for Virginia Water Radio by Virginia musician Stewart Scales.
MUSIC - ~22 sec – instrumental.
SHIP’S BELL
Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment. For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624. Thanks to Ben Cosgrove for his version of “Shenandoah” to open and close this episode. In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.
AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This Virginia Water Radio episode follows up a previous “Frog and Toad Medley” in Episode 408, 2-19-18; species included in that episode (in the order heard in the episode’s audio) were Wood Frog, Spring Peeper, American Toad, Mountain Chorus Frog, Pickerel Frog, American Bullfrog, Carpenter Frog, Fowler’s Toad, Northern Cricket Frog, Green Frog, and Gray Treefrog.
The rainfall sound was recorded by Virginia Water Radio in Blacksburg on February 17, 2023.
The sounds of the frogs and toads heard in this episode were
excerpted from “The Calls of Virginia Frogs and Toads” CD, copyright 2008 by
the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (now the Department of
Wildlife Resources) and Lang Elliott/NatureSoundStudio, used with permission.
The CD accompanies A Guide to the
Frogs and Toads of Virginia, Special Publication Number 3, Virginia
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries; as of February 16, 2023, that
publication is no longer available at Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
online store, https://www.shopdwr.com/. For more information, contact the Department
at P.O. Box 90778, Henrico, VA 23228-0778; phone: (804) 367-1000 (VTDD); main
Web page is https://dwr.virginia.gov/;
to send e-mail, visit https://dwr.virginia.gov/contact/. Lang Elliott’s work is available online at
the “Music of Nature” Web site, http://www.musicofnature.org/.
“Five Green and Speckled Frogs” is a traditional folk song long used for
children learning to count, according to the All Nursery Rhymes Web site,
online at http://allnurseryrhymes.com/five-little-speckled-frogs/;
and the Songs for Teaching Web site, online at http://www.songsforteaching.com/folk/fivegreenandspeckledfrogs-lyrics.php
(a vocal recording of the song is available there). The banjo-and-guitar
version in this episode was recorded for Virginia Water Radio by Stewart Scales
on March 31, 2016, used previously in Episode
310, 4-4-16. More information about Mr. Scales and the group New Standard,
with which Mr. Scales plays, is available online at http://newstandardbluegrass.com.
The sequence of calls heard in this week’s audio follows generally the order in which the different species begin their annual breeding call period, according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, “Virginia Frog Phenology (Calling/Breeding Periods),” online (as a PDF) at https://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/education/edu-graphics/frog_and_toads/va-frog-and-toad-phenology-updated-02-21-2022.pdf.
Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (2 min./22 sec.) of the “Shenandoah” arrangement/performance by Ben Cosgrove that opens and closes this episode. More information about Mr. Cosgrove is available online at http://www.bencosgrove.com.
IMAGES
Images (as well as sounds, range maps, and other information) of other frogs and toads found in Virginia are available from the Virginia Herpetological Society, “Frogs & Toads of Virginia,” online at https://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/amphibians/frogsandtoads/frogs_and_toads_of_virginia.htm.
EXTRA INFORMATION ABOUT THE FROGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Below are the scientific names (in italics) of the frog and toad species mentioned in this Virginia Water Radio episode. The names are according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (formerly Department of Game and Inland Fisheries), “Fish and Wildlife Information Service,” online at https://services.dwr.virginia.gov/fwis/.
Coastal Plains Leopard Frog – Lithobates sphenocephalus.
(This species was formerly known as the Southern Leopard Frog).
Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad – Gastrophryne carolinensis.
Green Treefrog – Hyla
cinerea.
Little Grass Frog – Pseudacris
ocularis.
Oak Toad – Anaxyrus
quercicus.
Pine Woods Treefrog – Hyla
femoralis.
Southern Chorus Frog – Pseudacris
nigrita.
Squirrel Treefrog – Hyla
squirella.
Upland Chorus Frog – Pseudacris
feriarum.
SOURCES
Used for Audio
John D. Kleopfer and Chris S. Hobson, A Guide to the Frogs and Toad of Virginia, Special Publication Number 3, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (now Department of Wildlife Resources), Richmond, Va., 2011.
Virginia Herpetological Society, “Frogs & Toads of
Virginia,” online at https://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/amphibians/frogsandtoads/frogs_and_toads_of_virginia.htm. Herpetology is the study of amphibians and
reptiles.
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (formerly
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries), “Fish and Wildlife Information
Service,” online at https://services.dwr.virginia.gov/fwis/. This site has detailed information on life
history, distribution, habitat, and other aspects of species. Information specifically for the frogs and
toads mentioned in this episode is at the following links:
Coastal
Plains Leopard Frog;
Eastern
Narrow-mouthed Toad;
Green
Treefrog;
Little
Grass Frog;
Oak
Toad;
Pine
Woods Treefrog;
Southern
Chorus Frog;
Squirrel
Treefrog;
Upland
Chorus Frog.
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, “List of Native and Naturalized Fauna in Virginia, August 2022,” online (as a PDF) at https://dwr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/virginia-native-naturalized-species.pdf.
For More Information about Frogs, Toads, and Other Amphibians in Virginia and Elsewhere
Bernard S. Martof, et
al., Amphibians and Reptiles of the
Carolinas and Virginia, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill,
1980.
J.C. Mitchell and K.K. Reay, Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles in Virginia, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries/Richmond (now Department of Wildlife Resources), 1999; available online (as a PDF) at https://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/atlases/mitchell-atlas.pdf, courtesy of the Virginia Herpetological Society.
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, “Animal Diversity
Web,” online at https://animaldiversity.org/.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), “ARMI (Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative),” online at https://armi.usgs.gov/.
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, “A Guide to the
Salamanders of Virginia,” online at https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/salamanders/.
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, “A Guide to Virginia’s Frogs & Toads,” online at https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/frogs-and-toads/.
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, “Virginia is for Frogs,” online at https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/virginia-is-for-frogs/.
RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES
All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html). See particularly the “Amphibians” subject category.
Following are links to other episodes that feature or mention the species noted in this episode.
Episode 482, 7-22-19 – on the Oak Toad (along with Southern
Toad).
Episode 509, 1-27-20 – on the Little Grass Frog (along with the
Wood Frog).
Episode 515, 3-9-20 – on the Coastal Plains Leopard Frog.
Episode 516, 3-16-20 – a spring sounds, including that of the
Upland Chorus Frog.
Episode 620, 3-14-22 – on the chorus frog group, including the
Little Grass Frog, Southern Chorus Frog, and Upland Chorus Frog (along with
several others).
FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS – RELATED STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) AND OTHER INFORMATION
Following are some Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) that may be supported by this episode’s audio/transcript, sources, or other information included in this post.
2020 Music SOLs
SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.”
2018 Science SOLs
Grades K-4: Living
Systems and Processes
K.7 – Plants and animals have basic needs and life processes.
1.5 – Animals, including humans, have basic life needs that
allow them to survive.
2.4 – Plants and animals undergo a series of orderly changes
as they grow and develop, including life cycles.
2.5 – Living things are part of a system.
3.4 – Adaptations allow organisms to satisfy life needs and
respond to the environment.
3.5 – Aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems support a diversity
of organisms.
4.2 – Plants and animals have structures that distinguish
them from one another and play vital roles in their ability to survive.
4.3 – Organisms, including humans, interact with one another
and with the nonliving components in the ecosystem.
Grades K-5: Earth and
Space Systems
K.10 – Change occurs over time.
1.7 – There are weather and seasonal changes; including that
changes in temperature, light, and precipitation affect plants and animals,
including humans.
2.7 – Weather patterns and seasonal changes affect plants,
animals, and their surroundings.
3.7 – There is a water cycle and water is important to life
on Earth.
4.4 – Weather conditions and climate have effects on ecosystems
and can be predicted.
Grades K-5: Earth
Resources
4.8 – Virginia has important natural resources.
Grade 6
6.6 – Water has unique physical properties and has a role in
the natural and human-made environment.
6.8 – Land and water have roles in watershed systems.
Life Science
LS.7 – Adaptations support an organism’s survival in an
ecosystem.
LS.8 – Change occurs in ecosystems, communities,
populations, and organisms over time.
Biology
BIO.7 – Populations change through time.
Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at https://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching-learning-assessment/instruction.
Following are links to Water Radio episodes (various topics) designed especially for certain K-12 grade levels.
Episode 250, 1-26-15 – on boiling, for kindergarten through 3rd grade.Episode 255, 3-2-15 – on density, for 5th and 6th grade.
Episode 282, 9-21-15 – on living vs. non-living, for kindergarten.
Episode 309, 3-28-16 – on temperature regulation in animals, for kindergarten through 12th grade.
Episode 333, 9-12-16 – on dissolved gases, especially dissolved oxygen in aquatic habitats, for 5th grade.
Episode 404, 1-22-18 – on ice on ponds and lakes, for 4th through 8th grade.
Episode 407, 2-12-18 – on snow chemistry and physics, for high school.
Episode 483, 7-29-19 – on buoyancy and drag, for middle school and high school.
Episode 524, 5-11-20 – on sounds by water-related animals, for elementary school through high school.
Episode 531, 6-29-20 – on various ways that animals get water, for 3rd and 4th grade.
Episode 539, 8-24-20 – on basic numbers and facts about Virginia’s water resources, for 4th and 6th grade.
Episode 606, 12-6-21 – on freezing and ice, for kindergarten through 3rd grade.
