Yellow toads (Incilius luetkenii) are calling in chorus as the rains settle…

June 30, 2026Costa Rican seasonal moist forests

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(Incilius luetkenii) are calling in chorus as the rains settle in — the most abundant amphibian sightings recorded here over the past three months. These small toads breed in synchronized pulses timed to the wet season's onset, their voices rising with the first consistent downpours.

On the Nicoya Peninsula, farming families have long read these calls as a planting signal, timing their crops to the toad's rhythm. That folk knowledge rests on close observation of a real ecological connection: the toads' breeding chorus marks the point when soil moisture and insect abundance align for successful reproduction. The rains are holding, and so are the toads — both signals in sync, as they have been for generations.

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