Freezing Frogsicles

Ever wonder how frogs overwinter in this area? You may have heard that they burrow into the mud at the bottom of lakes our ponds, but did you know that most turn themselves into “Frogsicles” instead?  Yes, that’s correct, the common frogs in this area like Wood frogs simply bury themselves under leaves or other forest debris and pretty much freeze up. As quoted from the Earth Rangers web site:

“As the temperature drops, everything the Wood frog does stops. We mean EVERYTHING! It stops moving, breathing, its blood stops flowing and even its heart stops beating! During winter, 35-45% of the Wood frog’s body may freeze and become ice-like. It can pull this trick off by storing glucose in its liver. The glucose gets released into the frog’s blood while it’s ‘playing dead’, preventing its entire body from freezing. The glucose acts as antifreeze to keep this little guy alive while staying completely still. Once things warm up in the spring, the frog comes back to life (so to speak) and returns to its regular activities.”