The green frog is highly variable in color ranging from green, brown, or bronze, and sometimes blue, with dark brown or grayish spots that are often present on the dorsum.   A green patch on the upper lip below the eye and dorsal lateral ridges extending only to the middle of the back distinguish the green frog from other Rana species.  The belly is white usually with dark markings on the upper chest and under the legs.  During the breeding season, the males have yellow throats, large tympanums, and swollen thumbs.  The breeding season may begin as early as late April and can extend through September.  Anywhere from 1,000 - 4,000 eggs are laid in a single egg surface film mass attached to or on top of aquatic vegetation.  Tadpoles metamorphose after 2 -3 months if eggs are laid early in the season; if eggs are laid late in the season, tadpoles overwinter and metamorphose the next summer.  Sexual maturity occurs near the end of the first full summer after metamorphosis.  

Call:  A low explosive twang that sounds like a plucked banjo string.   When alarmed, it emits a distress call, a high-pitched squeenk.

Big Bend National Park Amphibian Species
Shenandoah National Park Amphibian Species
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