After hearing these guys for over a year, I finally caught one! I think they are Pacific Tree Frogs — this just happens to look like a particularly chubby little one. He came hopping out when I was cleaning up the front beds with the lavender bushes.
According to Frogs of the Willamette Valley:
- Pacific Tree Frogs are the most common frog species found in the Willamette Valley and throughout most of the west coast.
- They have three distinctive features: a dark stripe across each eye extending to the shoulder, a “Y” shaped mark on the top of the head, and rounded toe pads.
- Coloration generally relates to geographic area, and the frogs in the Willamette Valley are most often green or brown.
- In the Willamette Valley, male treefrogs move to breeding ponds and begin to vocalize in January.
I was just excited to finally see the tiny frog that has been making all that noise around here! My daughter thought it was pretty cool to see one, too.
I hear frogs from the creek in my back yard all the time. Nice to see what they might look like. Are you keeping him or did you set him free?
I held him for the kids to see and then put him under my front hedge. He has to be out there to do his thing – it’s breeding season!