Published by Rochester Sun Times
Date: April 13, 2026 at 12:08 a.m.
Wildly Personable™ Column by Lisa Loucks-Christenson
Rat-Tailed Drone Fly in Pool Pond: A Strange Little Wonder of Nature
Wait—don’t kill that rat-tailed drone fly!
That squirming, tan oblong critter twisting across Pool Pond nearly fooled me. At first glance, I thought it might be a baby mouse. Or a newborn opossum fallen from its mother’s pouch? I didn’t know; I’d never seen such a creature before. But this little marvel, as I discovered today, was a rat-tailed drone fly larva—a strange aquatic being that eventually transforms into a bee-like pollinator.
At first, I thought it was drowning. I leaned over with a stick, watching it toss and spiral through the water. The tail, thin and flexible, seemed to reach upward. For air? Exactly so. The “rat tail” is actually a breathing tube, sometimes with a tiny hook at the end, letting it draw air while remaining submerged. When I rescued the larva from the water, it crawled under the bark of my stick. Unsure whether it was a land or water dweller, I built a little “dual habitat”—half water, half land—in a plastic container.
Tonight, its transformation surprised me again. Its once soft, clear coating had hardened and turned brown. The body looked encased now, pupating. Inside that armor, organs and hairs once visible through its transparent shell were fading from sight, concealed as the next stage of life began.
It’s the most interesting creature I’ve found in Pool Pond since last fall, when I discovered Maude—a midge whose entire adult life lasted just one day. I called her my “invisible water dragon.” For three months I photographed her, marveling at how she shimmered like a ghost under water before emerging—a delicate yellow speck, barely a quarter inch long, small as a grain of rice but no less magnificent.
Nature always surprises when you slow down long enough to notice. What you think is a pest might just be a pollinator in disguise, a link in the great web of creation, quietly reminding us to look again—God’s creatures often wear unexpected forms.
What’s the weirdest bug you’ve ever seen in your backyard or photographed out in the wild? What made it look strange to you? I’d love to hear your story.
By Lisa Loucks-Christenson, conservationist, author, photographer, and illustrator
Email: Lisa@LisaLC.com or use the contact form. Got an interesting bug or critter? Reach out and let me know, I may feature it.