
Say hello to a
horsehair worm. Dan walked out the back door and found it on top of the snow. It turns out these little guys are quite the opportunistic nematodes.

Some people still believe a strand of horsehair that drops into a troth of water comes to life in the form of this worm. It has no circulation but lives for about six months by reproducing, digesting and generally enjoying life.
First, it must mature inside a host insect such as a cricket, grasshopper or roach. Water is their friend, finding its host insect there. When ready, it breaks out of the host, killing it in the process. They are harmless, do not infect humans and may help control the undesirable insects acting as its host.
Another name for this common worm is Gordian. It may be found in a pool of water or as it is by the pencil in what is called a Gordian knot. In ancient Greece, a man with the family name of Gordias ruled a small kingdom. He tied his cart with a knot and an oracle decreeded the man who would untie it would become the king of Asia (now Asia Minor). Alexander the Great, wintering there, could not untie it so he took out a knife and cut the knot.
Back to how this harmless free-living worm showed up on our doorstep. Well, I guess there are some things we are not meant to know.