Joanne Lockwood, age 11, of Willingboro, N.J., for her question:

WHERE CAN YOU FIND A TREE FROG?

Tree frog, or tree toad, is the common name of a number of small, brightly colored frogs that are found living among the branches of trees and shrubs. They live in many of the temperate and tropical areas throughout the world.

Unlike most other frogs, the tree frogs possess disk like suction cups at the tips of the fingers and toes. These cups enable the animals to cling tightly to branches, tree trunks and rocks.

Tree frogs eat insects. They have a melodious chirp like song that is most intense in damp weather or just before it rains. They are therefore regarded as weather indicators in many parts of the world. In winter they bury themselves in the decayed stumps of trees or within the earth until spring.

The common North American tree frog is found near decaying trees or old fences throughout the western United States. It attains a length of about two inches. The Pacific tree frog is found in the western coastal regions of North America.

Largest of the frogs, about 5 1/2 inches in length is a New Guinea native.