This picture comes to us from David Mimlitch. He and his boys found this little frog Plano’s Arbor Hills Nature Preserve. They were struck by how effective the little guy’s camouflage was.
Wikipedia has this to say about the Blanchard’s Cricket Frog:
Blanchard’s cricket frogs can be found through most of the Midwest United States, ranging from Michigan and Wisconsin in the north to southern Texas in the south and from Colorado in the west to West Virginia in the east. Although not listed at the federal level, Blanchard’s cricket frogs are considered at risk in some states. It is an endangered species in Wisconsin, and is a threatened species in Michigan, due to a significant population decline since the late 1970s. Habitat loss, chemical contaminants, and competition for resources have been posited as reasons for this decline. Populations can still be found in the southern and western portions of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. A. crepitans, including A. c. blanchardi, is also considered endangered in Minnesota. It may also still be on Pelee Island, Ontario, Canada, but has not been reported since 1987.
