Until 2014, Staten Island’s leopard frogs were classified as southern leopard frogs (pictured above), but research showed they were a “new” and distinct species.

PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUG WECHSLER, NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY

For nature nerds like me, the beginning of Spring means wading out into swamps in the middle of the night studying leopard frogs (though this photo is of an adorable frog called a spring peeper)! For the last five and a half years, I've had the honor of being a part of a team of scientists working toward documenting and describing the Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog, a new species we discovered in the Staten Island area just a few years ago. There's something so peaceful and humbling about being surrounded by the calls of thousands of creatures, realizing that there is so much more depth and complexity to the world than our day-to-day grinds--even in habitats within walking distance of the New Jersey Turnpike. --Brian