Tree frog on leaf

© Tetsuya Tanooka/DEEPOL by plainpictur

Hop into spring!. Spring equinox

Spring has officially sprung! Today marks the spring or vernal equinox, the official beginning of springtime in the Northern Hemisphere. Starting today, regions north of the equator will have more daylight hours than darkness throughout the day.

In some parts of the world, the arrival of spring is announced by the guttural chorus of tree frogs. As their name suggests, these frogs spend most of their lives in trees. They tend to be small and slender since their weight has to be supported by branches and twigs in their habitats. They can be recognised by the sticky discs on the tips of their fingers and toes, which help them cling to surfaces. While European tree frogs are widespread across the areas they inhabit, they face threats from habitat loss, pollution and climate change.