The Horsehair Worm in the Pond

While Jon was paying attention to  morning sky and taking some beautiful pictures of  the mist rising in the marsh, I was focused on the very long, thin worm in the pond.

When I first saw it  I though it was just a thin piece of grass caught in the current.   But I didn’t have to look at it long to see that it was moving intentionally, elegantly flowing in twists and swirls.

I took the video then watched the worm until it disappeared in the mud.  Only then did I try to find out what it was.

Thinner and longer than a piece of spaghetti, I googled… 12“long thin worm in pond.. and found that it best fit the description of a Horsehair Worm.

It’s called that because they were often found in horse toughs and initially mistaken for horse hair.  Horsehair Worms are parasites. When an insect such as a cricket or grasshopper eats their egg either on land or drinking it in the water, the worm grows inside the host feeding off the nutrients it takes in.

The most fascinating and gruesome thing I read about it is that when the horsehair worm is ready to live on its own,  “...it takes over the host’s nervous system, altering their behavior to make them actively seek out water.” This causes the cricket or grasshopper to jump into the water drowning itself.  Then the worm burrows from the host’s body, killing it (if it’s not already dead)  and lives its life in the water.

I’m still a bit stunning just thinking of the Horsehair worms lifecycle.  I wonder if I’ll see them more often, like the frogs, salamanders and crayfish,  now that I know they live in the pond and to look for them.