The Subtle Sounds of Summer

For months, the two-inch Sierran treefrog sang alongside rival males in his breeding pond, enticing females with a thousand kreck-eks. As summer arrives, the pond dries and his breeding job is complete; his offspring are already growing froglet legs. In search of more private dampness, he creeps away to an empty corner in a planter pot. It’s a fine spot for his bachelor months, and he brushes off his land call: a long, single-syllable cr-r-r-eck. This time, he performs as a soloist. 

The little amphibian had a serendipitous audience member: Jack Hines, a musician, soundscape ecologist, and host of the Ear to the Wild podcast. His Sonoma County backyard was our frog’s opera house.