The goldenrod soldier beetle is much friendlier than British redcoats. Sometimes too friendly.

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Ernie Cooper A damselfly nymph on an aquatic plant.

Brad asks: “Could you help with identifying a water creature? It could be a nymph or larva. For Arlington’s Town Day I sampled Slender Pondweed ( P. pusillus ) from Spy Pond. When checking identification with a 10x loupe, I discovered a small but fascinating creature. It was 2 mm to 3 mm long with two dots for eyes, an articulated head, jaws, four or six feet, a translucent body and an equally long, green abdomen that was flatter and about twice as wide as the body, with visible intestine and a dark appendage. The appendage could be gills as you described for the darner .

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