Date: October 7, 2020
Time of arrival: 2:51
Time of departure: 3:40
The weather was fairly humid with a bite in the air. The wind was not particularly strong by the creek.
The organism that was studied: Water Strider
Scientific name: Various spp.
Observations: The water strider did not stay in one place for too long, every few seconds it would move to another location. They also travelled at most two at a time but were mainly by themselves. They did not go toward the dead leaves in the creek, they were out in the middle of the creek. The most noticeable feature was its four legs that were longer than its body and started in the middle of his body. They moved quickly, sometimes they would move fast enough to create a large current. They moved on top of the water and pushed off with their back feet. They ate the smaller insects that were on top of the water and they have little arms in the front of their head like spiders to hold their food. They did not like big currents, As I was trying to lure them in to take a photo I tried to create small currents to attract them but they ran away instead. They also could hop on top of the water similarly to a frog hopping.
Identification: I knew there were water striders in the creek but I did not know what they looked like. I originally thought that they were small and were a type of spider so when I actually saw a water strider I thought it was a different insect. After returning from my sit spot I went to look at the identification log from the creek lab but I didn’t see it there. I then went to google and found a website that listed types of bugs that walked on water and found that it was a water strider.
Other information about the water strider: While they may look like spiders that are not related to them. Their legs are hydrophobic which help them stay on top of the water and some species of water striders even have wings. Water striders eat insects that fall into the water, mosquito eggs and even young water striders. The reason that they did not like it when I created a current was that they move when the water is disturbed.
Water Strider
Drawing of the Water Strider
Citations:
“Bugs That Float on Water: Science and Nature: Terminix.” Terminix.com, www.terminix.com/blog/bug-facts/bugs- that-walk-on-water/.
Writer, Staff. “Water Strider.” Insect Identification, 2019, www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=Water-Strider.
I have heard of water striders before, so it was interesting to learn more about them and their functions through the descriptions you provided. It was intriguing to hear how you attempted to lure them in by creating small ripples in the water. Is this something that is known to typically draw water striders?
Hey Katie, good job on this! I really like the way that your post is organized, so that I know exactly where to find everything. This was actually a bit educational for me, as I thought they were called water spiders before. I’m glad I heard it here before embarrassing myself in the future! This is also (obviously) the first time I’ve seen them in detail – they really look nothing like spiders. Anyway, great job with detail, especially in terms of behavior!