"Jesus" bugs

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John recount the well-known story of Jesus walking on the water. It's a miracle, of course, a sign of divinity, since no mere human could possibly do this—unless the watery surface were flash-frozen... or there was Divine Intervention. The reality is that the surface tension of the water is insufficient to hold up a person or even the smallest mouse. But there are critters adept at performing a not-so-miraculous aquatic trek. Turns out that if you weigh very little, and have specially adapted feet, the surface of the water will bear you quite well. So it is with the Water Striders, a.k.a. "Jesus" bugs, that perform this "miracle" every single day of spring and summer. The first members of the insect family Gerridae appeared today in the recently ice-free waters of a local vernal pool, and while the observation probably isn't worthy of a Gospel, it certainly is an event to celebrate and capture in this chronicle.