For several years now, since our lengthy drought dried their habitats and wildfires swept over their swampland strongholds, I have been unable to find the interesting little carpenter frog, Rana virgatipes, in Florida.



Jake Scott joined me in the search a couple of years ago but despite the return of a heavier rainfall, higher water levels, and a resurgence of the sphagnum in the acidic locales preferred by this pretty little ranid, we continue to fail.

This little ranid was never widespread in Florida. It was restricted to the northeastern portions of the state in the southward drainage from Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp. Our searches have taken us into some very remote areas, many new for us but all looking like ideal habitat for carpenter frogs. On these searches we have seen many amphibian species -- pig frogs, southern leopard frogs, southern toads, oak toads, eastern spadefoots, and at least a half dozen species of hylids -- as well as many taxa of reptiles. We’ve been in the field by day and by night. We’ve waded the tepid ankle to waist deep waters on moonless nights, on moonlit nights, and during the daylight hours. No carpenters!