Fact File
Scientific Name: Hyla chrysoscelis
Classification: Amphibian
Size: Up to 2.4 inches
Distribution: This species can be found in a variety of forested habitats throughout the Coastal Plain and in portions of the southern Piedmont along the Fall Zone. It is absent from most of the central and western Piedmont and mountainous areas of the state. It also occurs in far southwestern Virginia south and west of the New River Valley where it replaces the Gray Treefrog in the upper Tennessee River drainage.
Identifying Characteristics
Cope’s Gray Treefrog is similar in size and morphologically indistinguishable from the Gray Treefrog. In Virginia, distribution and call are the best ways to distinguish these species.
Did You Know?
Common name honors the famous naturalist Edward Drinker Cope.
Role in the Web of Life
This species breeds from April-August in almost any slow moving or still body of water, including artificial water sources such as buckets and pool covers. Small packets of eggs are deposited in shallow water sometimes attached to vegetation. Their advertisement call is similar to the Gray Treefrog, but with a higher frequency and faster trill rate.
Conservation
Species appears to be secure in Virginia.
Last updated: March 23, 2021