About the Pine Barrens Treefrog Drawing
I have encountered Pine Barrens Treefrogs only once in the wild, in the Sandhills of South Carolina. Like many secretive frogs, it revealed its presence first through its call. Following the sound through the forest eventually led me to what seemed like a loud jewel hidden among the vegetation.
Pine Barrens Treefrogs have a restricted and fragmented distribution, with populations associated with specialized wetland habitats. In the South Carolina Sandhills, they inhabit acidic seepage bogs and densely vegetated wetlands embedded within the surrounding pine landscape. Their dependence on these limited habitats makes encounters uncommon and leaves populations vulnerable to drainage, habitat alteration, and changes in natural fire patterns.
Often regarded as one of North America’s most beautiful frogs, the Pine Barrens Treefrog combines brilliant green with lavender, white, orange, and yellow markings. In On Hand, I used colored pencil for the frog while rendering my hand in graphite. The contrast isolates the animal’s vivid coloration and delicate form while preserving the personal connection of a brief field encounter.
On Hand is a colored-pencil and graphite wildlife drawing of a Pine Barrens Treefrog (Hyla andersonii) by Michael E. Dorcas for Tantilla Art.