First water strider

After a morning spent at the keyboard, I finished a writing project, and after a cold start, the day warmed. So, with the Wood Frogs quacking like mad, I took a break to see if I could get video of the batrachians in action. No such luck, for as is often the case, no sooner would I get within camera range than I'd accidentally break a twig or scrunch the leaf litter, thereby making enough noise to startle the choristers and send them to the vernal pool bottom. It was frustrating, but the trek was not without its rewards. This is not a particularly good picture, but I offer it as a kind of visual record of a noteworthy event: the first Water Strider of the year. Gerrids, as these true bugs are known, have the rare ability to actually walk on water—they're also called "Jesus bugs"—and they're exceedingly common in freshwater habitats. The adult insects have spent the winter under rocks and leaves, but the hibernation season is over and on this sunny day, they headed upwards to skate across the surface in search of food and mates.