{"id":3762,"date":"2026-07-02T21:39:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T21:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762"},"modified":"2026-07-02T21:39:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T21:39:14","slug":"small-green-and-looking-for-love-why-the-frogs-at-this-wake-park-are-so-loud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762","title":{"rendered":"Small, green and looking for love: Why the frogs at this Wake park are so loud"},"content":{"rendered":"

Queenk, queenk, queenk<\/i>.<\/p>\n

On summer nights, Downtown Cary Park<\/a> comes alive with a wild chorus echoing from the ponds. It\u2019s not a quirky new sound system \u2014 it\u2019s the green tree frog<\/a>, the headliner of Cary\u2019s summer nights.<\/p>\n

Read more Does NC legislature value teacher experience? Educators react to pay raises<\/a><\/p>\n

Most easily heard late at night or after a rain, these tiny crooners have become local celebrities. When the Cary Report posted a video<\/a> on social media featuring the frogs\u2019 calls, it racked up more than 80,000 views and dozens of comments from people across the Southeast who recognized the familiar soundtrack of summer.<\/p>\n

Other users shared that the little singers, most often heard near the park\u2019s stormwater pond<\/a>, enhance their enjoyment of the park.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love hearing them walking through the park this time of year, surrounded by their chorus,\u201d one commenter wrote.<\/p>\n

The chorus of green tree frogs is about both love and competition. During breeding season<\/a>, typically April to September, males gather in boisterous groups around ponds, inflating their vocal sacs and calling out again and again in search of a mate.<\/p>\n

Once one male begins, the others join in, trying not to be outshined, crescendoing into a cacophony. Females judge the calls, listening for qualities that signal health and stamina<\/a>. If a male can call loudly and quickly, he\u2019s probably well-fed and in good health, making a good mate.<\/p>\n

A post shared by The Cary Report (@thecaryreport)<\/a><\/p>\n

Their presence at the park is no accident, said Patrick McMillan, the park\u2019s horticulturalist and a former Clemson University professor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we were planning the design of the park, we did want to create a low country marsh habitat for amphibians,\u201d McMillan told The News & Observer in a phone interview. \u201cWe have over 150 different native marsh species growing in and around the pond now, so it\u2019s ideal for providing breeding habitat for amphibians.\u201d<\/p>\n

By day, green tree frogs keep a low profile, hiding under leaves or tucked away in shady vegetation to stay cool and moist. When night falls, they come alive, leaping from perch to perch and showing off their acrobatic skills while hunting for flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches and ants<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The pond was intentionally left without fish to help amphibians reproduce, McMillan said. While green tree frogs will reproduce in water with fish, many frogs and toads prefer to lay eggs in vernal pools<\/a> \u2014 temporary pools that dry up \u2014 to avoid predators.<\/p>\n

Some small fish have appeared naturally, arriving via eggs transferred by other animals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were fishless for a really long time, and now we have lined topminnows and mosquito fish in the pond,\u201d McMillan said. \u201cThe less fish you have, the better reproductive success for amphibians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Recalled Utz potato chips sold in NC upgraded to most serious risk level<\/a><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Downtown Cary Park is a prime habitat. The small ponds are full of floating vegetation, perfect for green tree frogs to lay eggs, while the lower risk of eggs getting eaten also benefits the other eight frog and toad species found in the pond.<\/p>\n

But why are the frogs so loud now?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Finding love isn\u2019t easy when background noise from traffic and visitors can be as loud as a vacuum cleaner<\/a>. These little crooners have to step it up, inflating their vocal sacs to sing at 100 decibels.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s like listening to a leaf blower 3 feet away, but small, green and looking for love.<\/p>\n

Scientists<\/a> have even found that female green tree frogs can inflate their lungs to filter out background noise and focus on the calls of their suitors.<\/p>\n

On a recent visit, the high-stakes amphibian competition was in full swing, with families using flashlights to search for different frog species in the stormwater pond.\u00a0<\/p>\n

McMillan noted these visits are a natural result of making the park wildlife-friendly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really enjoy working for the park in particular, because the emphasis when we built the park was on incorporating wildlife and people to enrich the experience of both, and that\u2019s really happened here,\u201d McMillan said.<\/p>\n

Green tree frogs face real challenges, despite their energy and adaptability. Since they breathe through their skin, frogs and other amphibians are highly sensitive<\/a> to water pollution from agricultural and industrial runoff.<\/p>\n

Still, the frogs are thriving at Downtown Cary Park, where their symphonies represent a mix of science and some serious courtship.<\/p>\n

McMillan encourages visitors to hear it for themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u2018wonk wonk\u2019 call that the green tree frog makes, it starts\u2026 to play off of each other when you have so many calling at one time and it just\u2026 becomes almost a drone of calls,\u201d McMillan said. \u201cIt\u2019s really something that you have to experience to understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more NC ranked No. 5 in US for \u2018car-poor\u2019 drivers. How much are their car payments?<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 7:30 AM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Green tree frogs thrive at Downtown Cary Park\u2019s stormwater pond, creating a loud summer chorus that attract families and visitors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3761,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nSmall, green and looking for love: Why the frogs at this Wake park are so loud - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Small, green and looking for love: Why the frogs at this Wake park are so loud - Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Green tree frogs thrive at Downtown Cary Park\u2019s stormwater pond, creating a loud summer chorus that attract families and visitors.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-02T21:39:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3762#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3762\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"headline\":\"Small, green and looking for love: Why the frogs at this Wake park are so loud\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-02T21:39:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3762\"},\"wordCount\":832,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3762#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/42e02ea7bb7954812e25f1afa2c3a663.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3762#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3762\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3762\",\"name\":\"Small, green and looking for love: Why the frogs at this Wake park are so loud - Durham Moving Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3762#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3762#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/42e02ea7bb7954812e25f1afa2c3a663.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-02T21:39:14+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3762#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3762\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3762#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/42e02ea7bb7954812e25f1afa2c3a663.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/42e02ea7bb7954812e25f1afa2c3a663.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"A green tree frog sits among vegetation Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at Downtown Cary Park in Cary.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=3762#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Small, green and looking for love: Why the frogs at this Wake park are so loud\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Durham Moving Hub\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Small, green and looking for love: Why the frogs at this Wake park are so loud - Durham Moving Hub","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Small, green and looking for love: Why the frogs at this Wake park are so loud - Durham Moving Hub","og_description":"Green tree frogs thrive at Downtown Cary Park\u2019s stormwater pond, creating a loud summer chorus that attract families and visitors.","og_url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762","og_site_name":"Durham Moving Hub","article_published_time":"2026-07-02T21:39:14+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85"},"headline":"Small, green and looking for love: Why the frogs at this Wake park are so loud","datePublished":"2026-07-02T21:39:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762"},"wordCount":832,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/42e02ea7bb7954812e25f1afa2c3a663.jpg","articleSection":["Read today's Edition"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762","name":"Small, green and looking for love: Why the frogs at this Wake park are so loud - Durham Moving Hub","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/42e02ea7bb7954812e25f1afa2c3a663.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-02T21:39:14+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/42e02ea7bb7954812e25f1afa2c3a663.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/42e02ea7bb7954812e25f1afa2c3a663.jpg","width":1200,"height":675,"caption":"A green tree frog sits among vegetation Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at Downtown Cary Park in Cary."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3762#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Small, green and looking for love: Why the frogs at this Wake park are so loud"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/","name":"Durham Moving Hub","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/durhammovinghub.com"],"url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3762"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3762\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}