Summer brings an over-abundance of frogs to my yard. I often find them tucked down inside curling pepper leaves or snoozing on top of a growing pepper. They don’t hurt the plants, but the invasive Cuban tree frog can hurt the environment, by killing off our native frogs.
Cuban Tree Frogs?
I think these are Cuban tree frogs. I have seen frogs like this inside my house. One day I had one sitting on a plate in my kitchen. When we first moved into our house a huge, whitish frog came out of the tub drain! I’d never let frogs creep me out before, but there was something about these that I never liked.
3 Frogs on my front light – one is sitting on another
They are nocturnal and come alive in the evening when they hop all over the windows and door eating bugs.
They also leave their poop everywhere as you can see by my disgusting looking light. I think this photo shows the Cuban frog. This type of frog will kill and eat the cute green ones – which I never see these days. And the Cuban frog can become quite large. They can also get into the plumbing – they do that by getting onto the roof – and other places and become a big problem.
It is true that these frogs do not appear to be the cute little green frogs that were once everywhere in Florida. You literally could not avoid them and they were simply part of Florida life. Florida life has changed.
Tree frog napping on my garden pepper – he is what type???
After I had a palm tree cut down in my front yard, the frog population seemed to decline. They may have been living in the tree.
Frog on pepper leaf
Good Frogs
This striped frog is one I came across while cleaning out the yard. I’d had some plastic containers stacked, which had filled with water. I was getting rid of the containers and discovered this frog swimming around with a bunch of tiny creatures – possibly tadpoles..? Once I disturbed his home, he climbed out of the container and disappeared.
I think this frog may be the Florida Chorus frog, but I’m not sure. I hope he makes it. Life is tough for Florida wildlife.
Florida Tree Frogs or Cuban Pests?
Just like the little green lizards, the green Florida tree frog seems to be disappearing. Well, the Cuban tree frog could be the reason. This article at the UF site says to catch the invaders and humanely euthanize them! Put them into the fridge, then the freezer! Yikes.
I would have to know for sure I had the right type of frog. Some of the links below lead to pages with photos of Florida’s various types of frogs.
That is not a bird peeking out of my birdhouse. In fact, frogs can take over birdhouses so the birds can’t use them to nest.
Frog inside this birdhouse
One more thing to mention. We have a Ring camera set up in the backyard and witnessed an opossum climb the wall to the light and pull a frog off to eat it! I can’t say which type of frog it was, but I rarely ever see the cute green frogs. I would assume that the opossum ate a Cuban tree frog. Let’s hope so.
More Florida Frog Info Links
All links go to the University of Florida website pages.
My Florida yard is very small but I have wild growth on two sides. A vacant lot behind the house is full of trees, brush, and vines and it’s where I set up my bird feeders for the Painted Buntings. I have identified some of the growth thanks to a good site I finally found.
Searching for photos online has proven difficult because often there is no image of the leaves. The whole tree or bush is not really helpful without some up close images.
I’m adding photos from my yard to this page to help me remember what is what. I have to know what to keep and what to destroy as I clean up.
Unknown Tree or Shrub – Laurel Fig?
This plant was uncovered as I cleaned up for a small garden space in January. The leaves are widely spaced and are dark green and oval in shape. The bark is very light gray. Possibly the Laurel Fig and if so, it is an invasive tree. I was hoping this was a nice bush to save, but it seems that I may have to cut it out.
No name for this yet.
Read, and see amazing photos, on this interesting page on Strangler figs and how the roots cause havoc.
The Brazilian Pepper Tree is an Invasive Species – Non Native
I have a group of Brazilian Pepper trees just over my lot line. During the winter months loads of red berries appear which bring robins and other birds to feed.
It is an attractive tree, but is an invasive species and not a Florida native. In fact, the trees should be destroyed when possible according to many articles I have read. This clump of trees is huge, with a large root system. It is also not on land I own but the branches arch over my yard.
Brazilian Pepper
Red berries
Robins eat the berries
This is an invasive species
A mass of roots of the Brazilian Pepper
Florida Maple Trees
The Florida maple trees lose their leaves during the cooler months. This photo was taken in February. Soon new leaves will form. I saved this little tree which is growing on the edge of my property when it was covered in potato vines (see below) and unable to grow. Now this maple tree is thriving and has tripled in size.
The Maple tree loses leaves in winter
The Elderberry Shrub – Florida Native
I’ve included a new volunteer Elderberry with a photo of the larger Elderberry in the woods. The tree has pretty white clumps of flowers and dark berries during the warmer months. The berries are toxic to humans when raw, but edible when cooked. Many animals and birds can eat the berries, but I think I will pass!
Elderberry flowers
Elderberry leaves and flower head
White Elderberry flowers
The Elderberry has berries and white flowers
A young Elderberry tree growing at the edge of my yard
Elderberry flowers
The Beautyberry – Florida Native
When I came across this stem of berry “bubbles” I took some photos not knowing what it was. The Beautyberry bush is a Florida native plant and this one is located in my backyard.
There are many obnoxious and non-native vines in Florida. Most were purposely brought here for some reason and then they grew out of control. The potato vine is one. See my photos below and more photos at the UF site.
Because of the long months of agreeable weather for growing, vines can easily take over a landscape. The potato vine creates loads of potato-looking things of all sizes that become more vines. Native trees and shrubs can become smothered.
Leaves of the potato vine
Air potato, large size
Hanging flowers on potato vines
The empty lot next to my yard has many potato vines crawling all over the vegetation
Potatoes at the edge of my yard
Potatoes and vine under roots of the Brazilian pepper tree
Vines growing over vegetation
I filled these bags with potatoes to destroy them
Thorny vine – unknown
Unknown vine with thorns
Pink Wood Sorrel – Clover
I call this pink wood sorrel plant a “clover” because of the leaves. I don’t know if it is a relative to clover, but it blooms with the prettiest little dark pink-purple flowers. I’ve had it pop up in my front garden bed all on it’s own, but this plant below I photographed along the shrub line out back.
It does die down and disappear, but comes back.
Clover flowers
Pink wood sorrel
Elephant Ear – Non-native / considered invasive
I was surprised to see that the Elephant Ear plant is not a Florida native. I always associated it with this tropical climate, but it came from South America. An interesting note: The tubers of this plant can be eaten.
Elephant Ear
The elephant ear has quite a unique flower
Flower closeup
Florida jungle growth
Muscadine Grape Vine – Native (no photo)
The Muscadine Grape vine is not unwanted like the other vines mentioned here. It is a Florida native and grows all over the state.
Bottlebrush
Along the back of my lot an overgrown shrub border contains a couple of bottlebrush trees.
Lantana?
I photographed these little flowers without knowing what they were. Possibly they are Lantana, which is also an invasive plant here in Florida. It is listed as a non-native plant at the UF site.
Lantana
Lantana buds
Unknown Flowering Vine – Probably the Invasive Japanese Honeysuckle
I took this photo of what I think was a vine with white flowers resembling the honeysuckle. I’m not sure if it is the invasive Japanese Honeysuckle or not. I will look for it again in the side yard when plants begin to flower. Unless….
I have been pulling out long vines with leaves similar to this vine. The description is that it grows over everything blocking out light and killing smaller plants, and the vines are definitely long enough to do that. Some of the vines I pulled have black berries, which can be seen in a photo at the link above. I’ve been dealing with the vines while cleaning up a space for my new backyard garden.
So not be tempted to plant this as it is a real pain to remove. It is NOT a Florida native, so choose a vine that is.
Japanese Honeysuckle?
In Closing
Once I began to add photos and identify the growth around my yard, I have found that many of them are invasive and unwanted. Trees, shrubs and vines are labeled “invasive” when they block out native growth by taking over spots where native things should grow.
When shopping for yard plantings look for “native” plants. I will have to remove as best I can the plants that should not be allowed to grow. The new garden area I am creating already has a small Brazilian Pepper tree which is small enough to cut down.
Once I have cleaned out the vines, I’ll look for native plants to add to the landscape.
Hydrangeas Blue 