Pacific chorus frog ~ 08/29/13 ~ at home

Pacific chorus frog and tadpole, bladder snails, and duckweed
Pseudacris sierra, Physa spp. (aka Physella spp.), and Lemna sp.

Araceae

Look!  Find the frog.  This is the first one to crawl from my 2013 spring hatch.  I've enjoyed having them again this year.  Instead of obsessing over whether their water was clean enough, I let the water stand all summer to create a more natural environment.  I'm guessing this may help explain why I have frogs this early, compared to the 6-14 months it eventually took last time.

Considering my various aquatic plants have come from different sources, I've also had additional bladder snail stowaways.  I'm starting to think I have a couple different species, some with white lines and others with a more translucent, lacquered tortoiseshell appearance.

Also, I finally looked up duckweed.  Had no idea they're native.  I always thought they were introduced and problematic.  Guess not.

ps - As I was searching for embedded links, I came across a relatively new United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) online offering called ID Tools.  My favorite so far is the Terrestrial Mollusc Tool, especially considering my sister-in-law (aka garden slug hunter extraordinaire) and I searched high and low for approachable slug experts to little avail.  This site is my first online ID resource recommendation listed under gastropods.  Awesome.