Can you find the insect? The common water strider (
Aquarius remigis) actually moves around on the surfaces of ponds or creeks through the use of superfine hairs at the ends of its middle and hind legs. The short front legs stay up out of the water so they can snatch other small insects when they get too close. Their slender bodies are only about a half inch long at most, and this one appears to have wings, but decided not to use them to escape the shallow tub of water one of the students in my aquatics class put it in. Often times you will see small air bubbles where their legs contact the water and later in the summer you may see them in large bunches striding back and forth near the shore of the pond. These are really cool creatures.
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