This week, Jameson and I discover two damselfly nymphs. Or as Jameson says, “mimfs.” We also enjoyed smelling a harvestman, otherwise known as a daddy long legs.

Although they are both arachnids, harvestmen are not spiders. Harvestmen belong to the Arachnid order Opiliones, whereas spiders are in the Arachnid order Araneae. Both harvestmen and spiders have have legs. But harvestmen have only one main body part. Spiders have two main body parts. Harvestmen do not spin webs.

An urban legend falsely accuses harvestmen (daddy long legs) of being the most poisonous animal in the world. This is unfortunate because some species of harvestmen smell like “cherry cotton candy,” according to Jameson. Close up, these creatures are revoltingly beautiful and do not bite humans.

The scent of a harvestman is that of its pheromones (fair-oh-moans). Pheromones are air-dispersed molecules for chemical communication over distances. Animals emit pheromones for different reasons, such as finding a mate. In the case of the harvestman, the pheromone they secrete is a call of alarm, warning other harvestmen to flee. This silent warning works well since harvestmen reside in close proximity to others of their species.

To pick up a harvestman without harming either of you (the harvestman physically and the human mentally), carefully grab the spider by a few legs. Then, gently bend all the legs above its head so that you have all 8 legs between your thumb and forefinger with its belly up. Lightly rub the under body a couple of times. Bring the harvestman up to your nose and inhale, but not too deeply. The “cherry cotton candy” smell does have a mild similarity to diluted ammonia. When you’re done smelling, return the harvestman to a safe place.

Once you’ve learned to recognize the scent of a harvestman, you can detect their odor from the trail while walking through the woods.

Their community living and chemical communication have allowed harvestmen to survive on earth since the Carboniferous Era some 300 million years ago.

Incomplete metamorphosis is a slightly confusing concept. This term implies that an insect simply stops developing and remains in a juvenile state. Instead, I like the term, simple metamorphosis.

During complete metamorphosis, the insect develops during four uniquely identifiable stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. A butterfly is a common example of an insect that undergoes complete metamorphosis. In a butterfly, the larva is also known as a caterpillar and during the pupal stage, the butterfly develops in a chrysalis (cocoon if you’re a moth).

Simple metamorphosis results in a fully formed adult insect. However, upon hatching from an egg, the young insect, called a nymph (nim-pf), looks like a smaller version of an adult insect. As a damselfly nymph eats and grows, it will shed its exoskeleton 10-15 times before it reaches the adult stage. Grasshoppers are other insects that also undergo incomplete metamorphosis.

For species identification of a nymph, it is important to observe the nymph’s antennae, body spines, face and jaws. Apparently these jaws can help swallow organisms as large as the nymph itself. Watch out if you’re a tadpole! The Backyard Arthropod Project has great close ups of damselfly nymph anatomy.

To identify a damselfly nymph, it might be best to narrow down identification to the family level, and then proceed to the genus and species. Right now, I’m happy to know that Jameson and I discovered a damselfly nymph. Next time we find one, I’ll remember to look at its face.

When observing a damselfly nymph, be sure to note its miniature wing buds and its 3-finlike projections on the tail end. These projections are gills, which allow the nymph to absorb oxygen from the water. Occasionally, gills may be temporarily stuck together in the sample or missing completely.

Damselfly nymphs eat other aquatic animals, like mosquito and other insect larvae, tadpoles, water beetles, or other damselfly nymphs. At the pond, we watched (and filmed) a nymph eating predacious diving beetle larvae. Their large eyes help make them effective predators.

Adult damselflies (dragonflies too) are gorgeous to behold and belong to the insect order Odonata, meaning “toothed” jaw. Their slender bodies are emblazoned with bright color. When resting, damselflies fold up their wings behind them, whereas dragonflies keep their wings open.

Both damselfly and dragonfly nymphs and adults do help make outdoor life bearable to humans since these creatures help control the mosquito population.

You can see all the Pondcast videos by visiting the YouTube channel of Stefan Szumko, AKA slugwhisperer at http://www.youtube.com/user/slugwhisperer.

Stefan Szumko is a middle school science teacher by trade, an outdoor environmental educator by calling, and a homedaddy by choice. He can be reached at slugwhisperer@gmail.com.