St. LOUIS, Mo.—The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering the chance to explore the world of nighttime amphibians from the comfort of a computer or mobile device. And, the exploration will be led by MDC State Herpetologist, Jeff Briggler.

Join MDC for a Virtual Amphibian Night at Forest 44 April 30th, from 7-9 p.m. The program is free and open to all ages. It will give participants a chance to see what interesting amphibians are out during the night on Forest 44 Conservation Area.

Briggler, MDC’s top amphibian expert, will guide viewers on a virtual exploratory hike into the nocturnal world of frogs. He’ll discuss how to identify different frog and toad species by their distinctive calls before venturing out to the ponds of Forest 44 in search of chorusing frogs.

MDC naturalists will be taking smartphones and iPads along to live stream the journey and discover what it’s in the ponds. Species that might be making appearances include spring peepers, western chorus frogs, southern leopard frogs, northern cricket frogs, and maybe even some eastern American toads. Spring is the peak time for these breeding frogs to be making their calls.

Virtual Amphibian Night at Forest 44 is a free program; however, advanced online registration is required at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZzA. Please register each person attending. This is a virtual event through WebEx. Participants will receive an invitation with the link via email approximately 24 hours prior to the event. Please check junk mail/spam folders if you do not receive the invitation.

MDC offers many free educational programs in the St. Louis region to help people discover nature, fishing, hunting, and the outdoors. Stay informed by going to the MDC St. Louis reginal events page at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZP6.