Learn to ID the frog yourself. | Source: Wisconsin Citizen-based Monitoring Network
It has been confirmed that we have cricket frogs in the SW end of the marsh. I’ve heard them on three separate dates and the same location on the Jim Asfoor Trail north of Festival Foods. I sent a recording made last night to Andrew Badjie, WDNR, to confirm my ID. Andrew has confirmed it in this email. Also note that Andrew reported that two other cricket frog reportings have been made this summer near the mouth of the La Crosse River. I’ve provided my cricket frog location details to Andrew per his request. The information will be added into their frog database.
Cricket frogs are listed as endangered in Wisconsin by the WDNR.
Blanchard’s cricket frog was only reported at few sites in Wisconsin when the DNR started its volunteer frog and toad surveys in the mid-1980s. More locations are reported today. I don’t know if this due to increased populations, better or more surveys. This frog can not handle freezing or inundation. It needs to find burrows or other areas that don’t freeze or be flooded with water during the winter. So I suspect that greatly influences its distribution and abundance compared to other frogs. Chemical pollutants, biological agents, climate changes are likely involved in long term population changes. It was once common in Wisconsin. We have not heard this frog during any of our official frog and toad surveys in the marsh. Here is a link to the DNR’s website for this species: https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/EndangeredResources/Animals.asp?mode=detail&SpecCode=AAABC01040