New peeper backyard

As is often the way at this time of year, the upland areas that surround wetlands of both the permanently or temporarily aquatic persuasion are replete with young frogs, the graduates of 2015's egg classes. Almost every step spooks a froglet, who responds with a leap to escape a potential predator, and there's actually no better place for viewing youngsters on eternal alert than the too-overgrown grassy areas of my backyard and the edges of the encircling woodland. I've already "captured" good images of fleeing Wood Frogs and Pickerel Frogs, but two species, the ubiquitous Spring Peeper and the equally common Gray Tree Frog, were proving a major challenge. A few days ago, I'd seen one of these tiny adolescent—a peeper, I'd thought—which are not much bigger than a thumbnail, by one of our composting leaf piles, but by the time I retrieved my camera, the critter was long gone. This afternoon, however, with my wife, who'd first spotted one of the elusive youngsters, standing guard, I managed to race into the house and come back with the proper photographic tools to immortalize a visit by what I thought was Pseudacris crucifer, the bell-voiced batrachian with the X on its back—the frog that, with any luck, will show up at the wetlands in March to herald spring. After considerable head-scratching, however, I'm beginning to lean in the Gray Tree Frog direction. Identifying the one that didn't get away—perhaps actually the ratchety voiced herald of May and warmer weather—will require a bit more study.