{"id":10694,"date":"2022-05-12T19:23:26","date_gmt":"2022-05-12T19:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/?p=10694"},"modified":"2022-06-09T06:19:10","modified_gmt":"2022-06-09T06:19:10","slug":"vert-de-gris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/vert-de-gris\/","title":{"rendered":"VERT-de-GRIS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243;][et_pb_text]<h4><strong>BY\u00a0<span style=\"color: #339966;\"><a style=\"color: #339966;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nextdoornature.org\/\">KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4>It isn\u2019t easy being green. Kermit the Frog said it, so you know it has to be true.<\/h4>\n<h4>He\u2019s always seemed a reluctant celebrity, so my guess is that being the most famous Muppet-amphibian on the planet isn\u2019t always a picnic. I wonder whether life would be a little less stressful if, like some of his cousins, Kermit could change from green to another color when he\u2019d rather not be so conspicuous.<\/h4>\n<h4>Gray treefrogs (<i>Dryophytes versicolor<\/i>) know how to be seen and when to blend into their surrounding, shifting the spectrum from bright emerald to peridot, to gold, copper, platinum, silver, and even gunmetal. Since the places they hang out \u2014 trees and shrubs in woodlands, meadows, prairies, swamps, suburbs, and cities \u2014 tend toward palettes awash with green and gray hues, these arboreal amphibians can keep their sartorial choices simple.<\/h4>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-10697\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/gray-treefrog-by-dave-huth.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/gray-treefrog-by-dave-huth.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/gray-treefrog-by-dave-huth-480x118.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 800px, 100vw\" \/>\n<h4>What looks like a costume change is actually a rather high-tech, cellular-level special effect created by chromatophores. These pigment-containing and light-reflecting cells, or groups of cells, are present in the skin of certain frogs, as well as some reptiles (including chameleons), cephalopods (such as octopi), fish, and crustaceans. Mammals and birds, on the other hand, have melanocytes, a different class of cells for coloration.<\/h4>\n<h4>Chromatophores are classified based on their hue under white light:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n \t<li>\n<h4><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10698\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/color-change-in-fish-or-frog-melanophore-cell.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"468\" height=\"356\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/color-change-in-fish-or-frog-melanophore-cell.jpg 468w, https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/color-change-in-fish-or-frog-melanophore-cell-300x228.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 468px) 100vw, 468px\" \/>melanophores (black\/brown)<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n \t<li>\n<h4>cyanophores (blue)<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n \t<li>\n<h4>erythrophores (red)<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n \t<li>\n<h4>xanthophores (yellow)<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n \t<li>\n<h4>leucophores (white)<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n \t<li>\n<h4>iridophores (reflective or iridescent)<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>The process, known as physiological color change, can be controlled by hormones, neurons, or both. Most studies have focused primarily on melanophores because they are the darkest and, therefore, the most visible. When pigment inside the chromatophores disperses throughout cell the skin appears to darken; when pigment aggregates in cells the skin appears to lighten. Either way, you\u2019ve got an amazing makeover, or a convincing disguise, in no time flat!<\/h4>\n<h4>There\u2019s even more to the gray treefrog\u2019s ability to assume an alter-ego than meets the eye \u2014what appears to be a single species is actually two very close relatives:\u00a0<em>Hyla versicolor<\/em>, aka Eastern, although there\u2019s a long list of pseudonyms from which to choose (there are more ways to hide than blending into the substrate); and <em>Hyla chrysoscelis, <\/em>aka<em> C<\/em>ope\u2019s (which also has a couple of nicknames but not as many as <em>H. versicolor<\/em>).<\/h4>\n<h4><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-10699\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/gray-treefrog-from-below-by-alan-wolf-cc-by-nc-2-02.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/gray-treefrog-from-below-by-alan-wolf-cc-by-nc-2-02.jpg 308w, https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/gray-treefrog-from-below-by-alan-wolf-cc-by-nc-2-02-296x300.jpg 296w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>Cope\u2019s and Eastern are equally skilled at clinging to and climbing slick surfaces using large toe pads that secrete mucous, creating surface tension. It\u2019s not uncommon to find one plastered against a window pane (allowing for an interesting view of their nether-regions). Both species prefer a diet of small insects, spiders, and snails. Both hibernate under leaves, bark, or rocks. Well, \u201chibernate\u201d sounds a lot more cozy than the reality\u2026 which is that their bodies pretty much freeze and their lungs, heart, brain, and other organs stop working until they thaw out and reanimate in the spring. It\u2019s a pretty nifty chemical trick, on par with being able to transform your complexion at will.<\/h4>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-10700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/copes-gray-treefrog-by-andrew-hoffman-cc-by-nc-nd-2-0.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/copes-gray-treefrog-by-andrew-hoffman-cc-by-nc-nd-2-0.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/copes-gray-treefrog-by-andrew-hoffman-cc-by-nc-nd-2-0-480x320.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 800px, 100vw\" \/>\n<h4>Kermit has an unmistakable personal brand, but distinguishing\u00a0<em>H. versicolor<\/em> from <em>H. chrysocelis<\/em> visually is just about impossible. Both Eastern and Cope\u2019s are relatively small (1.5\u20142.0 in\/3.5\u20145 cm), and the adults are often mistaken for younglings. Both wear a sweep of bright citrus-orange along the inseam of their hind legs (a signature shade is all the rage, you know). \u00a0Females of both species are usually (but not always) larger, with a ladylike white throat. During the breeding season, males have a macho (make that hipster, since it resembles a beard)\u00a0black, gray, or brown throat. Guys sing. Gals swoon, but don\u2019t sing along.<\/h4>\n<h4>The ranges of these two species overlap, but Cope\u2019s are more widely distributed. If you find a gray treefrog in North Carolina or Georgia, you can be reasonably certain it\u2019s a Cope\u2019s, but if you\u2019re in Iowa or Pennsylvania, all bets are off. The only risk-free way to know for sure is to do a DNA test \u2014 Cope\u2019s are a diploid species, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent (for a total of 24); Easterns are a tetraploid species, meaning they have four sets of chromosomes (for a total of 48).<\/h4>\n<h4>Now, some frog call connoisseurs claim they can detect variations in breeding calls, and that Cope\u2019s treefrogs have a faster and slightly higher-pitched trill than Easterns. But the call rates of both species change with ambient temperature\u2026 so color me skeptical.<\/h4>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-10701\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/gray-treefrog-by-douglas-mills-cc-by-nc-nd-2-0.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/gray-treefrog-by-douglas-mills-cc-by-nc-nd-2-0.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/gray-treefrog-by-douglas-mills-cc-by-nc-nd-2-0-480x360.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 800px, 100vw\" \/>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Postscript:<\/strong> \u00a0What kind of frog is Kermit? While I\u2019ve never found a definitive answer to this question, I always assumed that because he was created\/discovered by Jim Henson, he was probably\u00a0Hyla muppetalis\u00a0or Rana hensonii\u2026 something like that. However, in 2015 Brian Kubicki of the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center discovered a frog who, if not the same species, must at least be a first cousin, or possibly Kermit\u2019s doppleganger.<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-10702\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/hyalinobatrachium-dianae-photo-c2a9-brian-kubicki-costa-rican-amphibian-research-center-used-with-permission.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"416\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/hyalinobatrachium-dianae-photo-c2a9-brian-kubicki-costa-rican-amphibian-research-center-used-with-permission.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/hyalinobatrachium-dianae-photo-c2a9-brian-kubicki-costa-rican-amphibian-research-center-used-with-permission-480x250.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 800px, 100vw\" \/>\n<div><\/div>\n\n<hr \/>\n\n<h4><em>\u00a9 2017 Next-Door Nature. Reprints welcomed with written permission from the author. Thanks to the following photographers who made their work available by granting permission for use on this blog:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.starpathimages.com\/Photography\/Animals-Wildlife\/\">Alan Howell, used with permission<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/search\/?user_id=39798370%40N00&amp;view_all=1&amp;text=gray%20treefrog\">Dave Huth<\/a> (composite of color variations), <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Melanophores_with_dispersed_or_aggregated_melanosomes.svg\">Chiswick Chap &amp; CheChe<\/a> (melanophores schematic), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/alumroot\/6105071262\/\">Alan Wolf<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/71701055@N00\/4920674870\/\">Andrew Hoffman<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/dmills727\/6962081468\/\">Douglas Mills<\/a>, and Brian Kubicki, used with permission.<\/em><\/h4>\n<h4><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/h4>\n<h4><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/h4>\n<h4><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/h4>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As you might imagine, I was caught completely off-guard when, strolling through the shire one evening, a dashing young prince in the guise of a Blanchard&#8217;s cricket frog (Acris blanchardi) bounced out of the shadows and onto the path before me, demanding a kiss.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":10696,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"<h4><strong>BY\u00a0<span style=\"color: #339966;\"><a style=\"color: #339966;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nextdoornature.org\/\">KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4>It isn\u2019t easy being green. Kermit the Frog said it, so you know it has to be true.<\/h4>\n<h4>He\u2019s always seemed a reluctant celebrity, so my guess is that being the most famous Muppet-amphibian on the planet isn\u2019t always a picnic. I wonder whether life would be a little less stressful if, like some of his cousins, Kermit could change from green to another color when he\u2019d rather not be so conspicuous.<\/h4>\n<h4>Gray treefrogs (<i>Dryophytes versicolor<\/i>) know how to be seen and when to blend into their surrounding, shifting the spectrum from bright emerald to peridot, to gold, copper, platinum, silver, and even gunmetal. Since the places they hang out \u2014 trees and shrubs in woodlands, meadows, prairies, swamps, suburbs, and cities \u2014 tend toward palettes awash with green and gray hues, these arboreal amphibians can keep their sartorial choices simple.<\/h4>\n<img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-10697\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/gray-treefrog-by-dave-huth.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"197\" \/>\n<h4>What looks like a costume change is actually a rather high-tech, cellular-level special effect created by chromatophores. These pigment-containing and light-reflecting cells, or groups of cells, are present in the skin of certain frogs, as well as some reptiles (including chameleons), cephalopods (such as octopi), fish, and crustaceans. Mammals and birds, on the other hand, have melanocytes, a different class of cells for coloration.<\/h4>\n<h4>Chromatophores are classified based on their hue under white light:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n \t<li>\n<h4><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10698\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/color-change-in-fish-or-frog-melanophore-cell.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"468\" height=\"356\" \/>melanophores (black\/brown)<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n \t<li>\n<h4>cyanophores (blue)<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n \t<li>\n<h4>erythrophores (red)<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n \t<li>\n<h4>xanthophores (yellow)<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n \t<li>\n<h4>leucophores (white)<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n \t<li>\n<h4>iridophores (reflective or iridescent)<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>The process, known as physiological color change, can be controlled by hormones, neurons, or both. Most studies have focused primarily on melanophores because they are the darkest and, therefore, the most visible. When pigment inside the chromatophores disperses throughout cell the skin appears to darken; when pigment aggregates in cells the skin appears to lighten. Either way, you\u2019ve got an amazing makeover, or a convincing disguise, in no time flat!<\/h4>\n<h4>There\u2019s even more to the gray treefrog\u2019s ability to assume an alter-ego than meets the eye \u2014what appears to be a single species is actually two very close relatives:\u00a0<em>Hyla versicolor<\/em>, aka Eastern, although there\u2019s a long list of pseudonyms from which to choose (there are more ways to hide than blending into the substrate); and <em>Hyla chrysoscelis, <\/em>aka<em> C<\/em>ope\u2019s (which also has a couple of nicknames but not as many as <em>H. versicolor<\/em>).<\/h4>\n<h4><img class=\"alignleft wp-image-10699\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/gray-treefrog-from-below-by-alan-wolf-cc-by-nc-2-02.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"405\" \/>Cope\u2019s and Eastern are equally skilled at clinging to and climbing slick surfaces using large toe pads that secrete mucous, creating surface tension. It\u2019s not uncommon to find one plastered against a window pane (allowing for an interesting view of their nether-regions). Both species prefer a diet of small insects, spiders, and snails. Both hibernate under leaves, bark, or rocks. Well, \u201chibernate\u201d sounds a lot more cozy than the reality\u2026 which is that their bodies pretty much freeze and their lungs, heart, brain, and other organs stop working until they thaw out and reanimate in the spring. It\u2019s a pretty nifty chemical trick, on par with being able to transform your complexion at will.<\/h4>\n<img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-10700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/copes-gray-treefrog-by-andrew-hoffman-cc-by-nc-nd-2-0.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" \/>\n<h4>Kermit has an unmistakable personal brand, but distinguishing\u00a0<em>H. versicolor<\/em> from <em>H. chrysocelis<\/em> visually is just about impossible. Both Eastern and Cope\u2019s are relatively small (1.5\u20142.0 in\/3.5\u20145 cm), and the adults are often mistaken for younglings. Both wear a sweep of bright citrus-orange along the inseam of their hind legs (a signature shade is all the rage, you know). \u00a0Females of both species are usually (but not always) larger, with a ladylike white throat. During the breeding season, males have a macho (make that hipster, since it resembles a beard)\u00a0black, gray, or brown throat. Guys sing. Gals swoon, but don\u2019t sing along.<\/h4>\n<h4>The ranges of these two species overlap, but Cope\u2019s are more widely distributed. If you find a gray treefrog in North Carolina or Georgia, you can be reasonably certain it\u2019s a Cope\u2019s, but if you\u2019re in Iowa or Pennsylvania, all bets are off. The only risk-free way to know for sure is to do a DNA test \u2014 Cope\u2019s are a diploid species, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent (for a total of 24); Easterns are a tetraploid species, meaning they have four sets of chromosomes (for a total of 48).<\/h4>\n<h4>Now, some frog call connoisseurs claim they can detect variations in breeding calls, and that Cope\u2019s treefrogs have a faster and slightly higher-pitched trill than Easterns. But the call rates of both species change with ambient temperature\u2026 so color me skeptical.<\/h4>\n<img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-10701\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/gray-treefrog-by-douglas-mills-cc-by-nc-nd-2-0.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Postscript:<\/strong> \u00a0What kind of frog is Kermit? While I\u2019ve never found a definitive answer to this question, I always assumed that because he was created\/discovered by Jim Henson, he was probably\u00a0Hyla muppetalis\u00a0or Rana hensonii\u2026 something like that. However, in 2015 Brian Kubicki of the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center discovered a frog who, if not the same species, must at least be a first cousin, or possibly Kermit\u2019s doppleganger.<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n<img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-10702\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/hyalinobatrachium-dianae-photo-c2a9-brian-kubicki-costa-rican-amphibian-research-center-used-with-permission.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"416\" \/>\n<div><\/div>\n\n<hr \/>\n\n<h4><em>\u00a9 2017 Next-Door Nature. Reprints welcomed with written permission from the author. Thanks to the following photographers who made their work available by granting permission for use on this blog:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.starpathimages.com\/Photography\/Animals-Wildlife\/\">Alan Howell, used with permission<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/search\/?user_id=39798370%40N00&amp;view_all=1&amp;text=gray%20treefrog\">Dave Huth<\/a> (composite of color variations), <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Melanophores_with_dispersed_or_aggregated_melanosomes.svg\">Chiswick Chap &amp; CheChe<\/a> (melanophores schematic), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/alumroot\/6105071262\/\">Alan Wolf<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/71701055@N00\/4920674870\/\">Andrew Hoffman<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/dmills727\/6962081468\/\">Douglas Mills<\/a>, and Brian Kubicki, used with permission.<\/em><\/h4>\n<h4><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/h4>\n<h4><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/h4>\n<h4><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/h4>","_et_gb_content_width":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":0,"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[427,16],"tags":[504,59,18,24,25,633,632,64,23,508,631,41,43,9,31,12,115,32,14,54,15,17,57],"class_list":["post-10694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-amphibians","category-wildlife","tag-amphibians","tag-animal-behavior","tag-backyard-wildlife","tag-behavior","tag-biology","tag-chromatophores","tag-dryophytes-versicolor","tag-ecology","tag-flora-and-fauna","tag-frogs","tag-gray-treefrog","tag-hidden-nature","tag-hidden-wildlife","tag-lafayette-park","tag-natural-history","tag-nature","tag-reptiles-and-amphibians","tag-suburban-wildlife","tag-urban-wildlife","tag-vertebrates","tag-watchable-wildlife","tag-wildlife","tag-wildlife-watching"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.0 - 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