Frogs, toads, and turtles

June is a great time to plan for learning about frogs, toads, and turtles. Below please find background information, celebration events and dates, some KinderNature activities, book suggestions, and more!

Background on the frogs, toads, and turtles

Herpetology is the study of reptiles and amphibians. Spring is an amazing time to hear and see frogs, toads, and turtles. Reptiles and amphibians are vertebrates meaning that they have a backbone and a skeleton. Herps rely on the surrounding air, soil, and water temperature for their body heat. In the spring as the world around us warms up, the reptiles and amphibians emerge from hibernation. In the fall as the weather begins to cool, frogs, toads, turtles (and other reptiles) will bury themselves deep in the ground below frost level or in the mud at the bottom of a pond or lake.

• Chorus frogs are the first frogs to call – their call sounds like a person running a finger along the teeth of a comb. Chorus frogs have tan or pale green skin with broken, darker stripes on their backside.
• Spring peepers are also an early frog to sing and make a short “peep” every second or two. If you hear one spring peeper, you’ll hear many and it can be very loud. Spring peepers have a distinctive ‘X’ on their backs.
• Leopard frogs are the most common frog you’ll see. The oval spots on their skin are often outlined in yellow. The leopard frog sings a long snore followed by a series of short grunts.
• American toads have dry, bumpy, warty skin and are much stockier than frogs. Toads don’t really jump but amble and have a very short hop. Toads grow to four inches long.
• Bullfrogs are Iowa’s largest frog and can grow to the size of a dinner plate.
• Green frogs compete with bullfrogs for habitat. They grow to about four inches and get the nickname “banjo frog” because the male sounds like a low-pitched banjo string being plucked.
• Treefrogs

Male frogs and toads call to attract a mate! Female frogs lay eggs in a clump or mass in the water and then the male frog fertilizes. Female toads lay strings of eggs    In a few days the eggs hatch into tadpoles with a long, flat tail and a rounded head and don’t look much like the adult frog or toad! Frogs and toads go through metamorphosis – egg to tadpole to frog or toad! When toad eggs hatch into tadpoles, it takes only five to six weeks to become a toad.

Toads are good to have because they eat worms and insects like crickets and flies. Frogs eat live food like insects and small mice. The bigger the frog, the bigger the food.

Turtles are reptiles. Turtles can either be aquatic or land-based called terrestrial. All turtles lay eggs with tough, leathery skin that helps keep them from drying out. Turtles lay their eggs in June or July in areas that have well-drained, sandy soil. Turtles hatch and look like miniature adults with adjoining scales. All turtle bodies have a dome-shaped top shell (carapace) and a lower shell on the underside (plastron). A turtle can pull its head and legs inside the shell when it senses danger or a predator. Common turtles found in Iowa include painted turtles, snapping turtles, and soft-shell turtles. Painted turtles eat worms, insects, snails, dead fish, and even aquatic plants. Snapping turtles diet varies as it grows from fish, dead animals in the water, to small mammals in the water, and even water birds.

KinderNature Photo album of frogs, toads, and turtles

Celebrations and important dates upcoming

• World Turtle Day – every May 23
• National Paper Airplane Day – every May 26
• International Mud Day – every June 29
• National Great Outdoors Month – every June

Vocab to introduce

• amphibian
• reptile
• juvenile
• adult
• life cycle
• tadpole
• hibernation

Suggested books from KinderNature Book List

• A Place for Frogs, Stewart, M., and H. Bond
• All About Frogs, Arnosky, J.
• All About Turtles, Arnosky, J.
• At the Edge of the Pond, Dewey, J.O.
• Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle, Dennard, D., and K. Kest.
• Frogs, Toads, and Turtles (Take-along Guide), Burns, D. and L. Garrow.
• Mossy, Jan Brett
• What is a Reptile?, Schaefer, L.M.

Related KinderNature Activities

• Frog Pond Life Cycle Model
• Over in the Pond
• Frog Costume
• Camo Frog Game
• Frogs, Turtles, Fish
• Underground Animals

Family Connection

• Look at baby pictures – compare pictures of that person as a baby and as they get older.
• Animal babies and adults – take a walk through your neighborhood to look for adults and their young

Helpful Links

• Frog Life Cycle
• Tadpole to Frog Life Cycle Explained
• Frogs Are Amphibians
• HerpNet – Online field guide to Iowa amphibian and reptiles offering photos and information on habitat, range, diet, identification, and behavior.
• A Field Guide to Amphibian Larvae and Eggs of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa from USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (PDF)
• Iowa Reptiles & Amphibians in this older Iowa Association of Naturalists publication
• Iowa’s Nature Series – Vertebrates publication from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Association of Naturalists .
• Reptiles and Amphibians of Iowa, Lizards of Iowa, Snakes of Iowa
• North American Amphibian Monitoring Project: Learn about the project and volunteer opportunities or just take a frog call quiz!