Spring Peepers stop eating and move down into a thick layer of decaying forest leaf litter that the giant nightcrawlers haven't colonized yet. The big worms eat much more than ordinary earthworms and consequently they can wipe out last year's duff layer and much of this fall's leaves, before the ground freezes and halts their eating frenzy. Garter snakes capture Leopard Frogs and any other frogs still moving around. The frogs scream plaintively as their snake predators swallow them whole. Big frogs that survive predation dine on baby Redbelly snakes, small frogs, and any insects they can snap up.
Rainy weather spurs their travels.
Treefrogs move into mammal burrows, well pits, basements and rotting logs. Falling leaves cover the forest floor and add a protective blanket for toads and frogs to snuggle under. Their life processes slow down and these amphibians quietly wait for winter to proceed. These big frogs spend the winter where the water is most oxygenated. For the rest of their lives they live and feed in permanent lakes and ponds.