Water Strider Mayhem

Title

Water Strider Mayhem

Artist

Elizabeth Dow

Medium

Photograph - Photographs

Description

Hiking through the backwoods in Camden State Park is delightful. I had never been there before, but my husband and our two sons had been there loads of times. So to escape our little corner of the world, we escaped to the backwoods to take in some nature and enjoy the foliage. There were lots of little streams....or would have been streams if we weren't in such a drought. This particular stream was not flowing, and had these tiny little Water Strider bugs on the surface of the water. Whenever they moved, the created these multi level circles that gyrated all over the stream. It was so cool. If you notice, the leaves and the rocks are perfectly still, but the water is vibrating from the Water Strider's skating motions all over the tiny pool of water. If you look closely, you will see the Water Strider in the upper to mid left corner of the photograph.They make the motion to scare off their predator, who would be me with my camera, and then remain still while the water moves in all directions over the top surface of the water.

This is what I learned about Water Striders:

"Water striders are small insects that are adapted for life on top of still water, using surface tension to their advantage so they can “walk on water.”
Water acts different at the surface. Water molecules are attracted to each other and like to stay together, especially on the surface where there is only air above. The attraction between water molecules creates tension and a very delicate membrane. Water striders walk on this membrane.

Water striders are about a half-inch long with a thin body and three sets of legs. The water strider's secret is its legs. The legs have tiny hairs that repel water and capture air. By repelling water, the tiny water striders stand on the water’s surface and the captured airs allows them to float and move easily."
(https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Water-Striders)
I love learning new things from my adventures out into nature. Happy Autumn everyone!

Uploaded

October 4th, 2020

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