The Chorus Has Begun

So long as Earth stays in its present orbit, Spring will arrive Saturday morning. Yippee! And I'll be at Table Mountain where I hear the wildflowers are getting ready for a great year. On the home front in Quincy, the chorus frogs are out in force. They're in the nooks and crannies of the foundations of home and in stone walls in our neighborhood and in the ponds and creeks out in American Valley.
I knew this frog as the Pacific Coast Tree Frog, Hyla regilla, when I first came to California. I had become familiar with many species of Hyla in the Southeast, but there was only this one on the West Coast. The name has been changed. I suppose it was the result of DNA testing, but it seems it's no longer a tree frog, per se, but a chorus frog and is now Pseudacris regilla. These two were in my front yard and were mostly a mottled gray. This species is quite varied, though, and you'll find them in many shades of gray, brown, and brilliant green. When you come across a pond or puddle where hundreds are singing, it is quite a powerful experience. They may suddenly stop singing when you approach, but sit still for a while and they'll resume their song.