Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)


Group	Toads/Frogs
Code	AAABC05090
Order	Anura
Family	Hylidae
Author	(Wied-Neuwied, 1838)
Rank	G5 (definitions)
Occurrence	P (definitions)
Scale	C (definitions)

County List:


Western UP	all
Eastern UP	all
Northern LP	all
Southern LP	all

Rule:

Forested or Mixed Forested/Nonforested Landscapes

Habitat Requirements may be distributed across the COMPARTMENT

1st alternative:
      (Northern Hardwoods (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Spruce/Fir (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Hemlock (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Mixed Upland Conifer (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Mixed Northern Hardwoods (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Any Forested Lowland (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or Treed Bog
   containing:
      Dead Down Woody Debris
   adjacent to:
      Any Emergent Wetland

2nd alternative:
      (Northern Hardwoods (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Spruce/Fir (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Hemlock (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Mixed Upland Conifer (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Mixed Northern Hardwoods (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Any Forested Lowland (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or Treed Bog
   containing:
      (Dead Down Woody Debris and Vernal Pools)

3rd alternative:
      (Northern Hardwoods (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Spruce/Fir (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Hemlock (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Mixed Upland Conifer (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Mixed Northern Hardwoods (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Any Forested Lowland (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or Treed Bog
   containing:
      Dead Down Woody Debris
   neighboring:
      (Sedge Meadow or Lowland Brush or Bog)
   adjacent to: (Pond or River)

view decision rule term definitions

Habitat List:

Habitats	Regen	Sap	Pole	Sm Saw	Lg Saw	Uneven
Aspen	no	no	no	no	no	-
Paper Birch	no	no	no	no	no	-
Oak	no	no	no	no	no	no
Assorted Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Northern Hardwoods	no	no	YES	YES	YES	YES
Spruce/Fir	no	no	YES	YES	YES	YES
Hemlock	no	no	YES	YES	YES	YES
Jack Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Red Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
White Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Conifer Plantations	no	no	no	no	no	-
Mixed Upland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Northern Hardwoods	no	no	YES	YES	YES	YES
Mixed Upland Conifer	no	no	YES	YES	YES	YES
Mixed Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Swamp Hardwoods	no	no	YES	YES	YES	YES
Balsam Poplar & Swamp Aspen & Swamp Birch	no	no	YES	YES	YES	YES
Bottomland Hardwoods	no	no	YES	YES	YES	YES
Tamarack	no	no	YES	YES	YES	YES
Northern White Cedar	no	no	YES	YES	YES	YES
Black Spruce	no	no	YES	YES	YES	YES
Mixed Lowland Hardwoods	no	no	YES	YES	YES	YES
Mixed Lowland Conifer	no	no	YES	YES	YES	YES
Non-Forested	Pond, River, Marsh 1, Marsh 2 (MARSH), Sedge Meadow, Lowland Brush, Bog or Muskeg, Treed Bog
Special Features	Dead Down Woody Debris, Vernal Pools, Riparian

view size class definitions

Literature:

Harding, J. H. and J. A. Holman. 1992. Michigan frogs, toads, and salamanders a field guide and pocket reference. Co-operative Extension Service, Michigan State University. 144 pp.

These frogs inhabit swamps, woodlands, and overgrown meadows. Breeding sites include woodland ponds, marshes, floodings, and other shallow bodies of water.

Peepers eat small invertebrates, such as insects, spiders, and mites, and will climb into bushes and other vegetation to pursue prey. They pass the winter buried under leaf litter, rotting logs or other forest debris.

DeGraaf, R. M. and D. D. Rudis. 1986. New England wildlife: habitat, natural history, and distribution. GTR NE-108. Broomall, PA:USDA, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 491 pp.

Habitat: Marshy or wet woods, second growth woodlots, sphagnum bogs, nonwooded lowlands, near ponds and swamps. Found on the ground or burrowed into the soil. Breeds in permanent or temporary water, usually woodland ponds with aquatic debris. Found in cool moist woods after breeding. Hibernates on land during late November to January or early spring, under moss and leaves.

Special Habitat Requirements: Pools for breeding

Hunter, M. L., J. Albright, and J. Arbuckle (editors). 1992. The amphibians and reptiles of Maine. Maine Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 838. 188p.

Habitat: Spring peepers are found in deciduous, coniferous, and mixed woodlands near ponds, marshes, and swamps. There may be a preference for brushy second-growth areas. During the breeding season one can find them in almost any pool, ditch, or pond-grassy or muddy, temporary or permanent-within their range. They tend to form choral groups where trees or shrubs stand in or near water.

After breeding, some peepers may establish home ranges between 1.2 and 5.4 m (4-18 feet) in diameter around bark debris, logs stumps, or other vegetation. Home ranges may overlap, but individuals do not interact. By fall they move from their home ranges, as much as 300 meters (1000 ft), presumably seeking a winter hibernation site in subterranean places.