I recently discovered this incredible creature while on a night walk in the NZ bush. Known as a 'Velvet Worm', this adorable invertebrate is actually an active predator which immobilises its prey with organic glue fired from turrets on its head!

Basically unchanged in about 400 million years, they are so wonderful that of course they get more than a few mentions in my upcoming book 'The World Beneath Our Feet' (coming later this year).

#SoilEcology #Macrophotography #SoilBiodiversity #Entomology #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet #Onychophora

Want to learn how to start doing soil animal macrophotography? Or how to improve your current macrophotography? Perhaps you just fancy a rare glimpse into mine and Andy Murray's enigmatic minds? Well, here you go!

A new perspectives article has just dropped in Soil Organisms journal, where Monica Farfan digs into mine and Andy's love for documenting and communicating soil biodiversity using photography! It was a very fun interview, jammed full of macrophotography tips and photos.

It's completely free to access:
https://www.soil-organisms.org/SO/article/view/504/517

#SoilBiodiversity #SoilFauna #Macrophotography #Entomology #Soil #Nature #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet

YEAH! 🎉
Today #BEN-EAF kick-offs as collaboration of Eurac Research, South Tyrol (#AlpSoil_Lab) and the James Hutton Institute (#EnB group), Scotland.

We will identify alpine #SoilFauna in the Highlands using traditional and modern #eDNA methods.

Stay tuned!
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18172.50561

#SoilBiodiversity #MountainSoils #MountainsSoilBiodiversity #Scotland #AlpineSoils #SoilMacroFauna #SoilMesoFauna

The final proofs of THE WORLD BENEATH OUR FEET are in, so it's almost time for this labour of love to go to the printers!

My popular science-style book about the incredible life in soil is now available for pre-order EVERYWHERE, so please go bag yourself a copy! Now I just have to decide the shortlist of my photographs to go into it...

#Soil #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet #SoilBiodiversity #Author #NatureBooks

Some exciting life news... I am now a lecturer in Entomology and Ecology at Lincoln University in New Zealand!

We took the Entomology students on a fieldtrip over the weekend, and saw some of my favourite invertebrates: Velvet worms (Ooperipatellus) and giant springtails (Holacanthella)! Always a joy to see these incredible creatures.

#Entomology #SoilBiodiversity #SoilFauna #Ento #Macrophotography #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet

If you go down to the woods today, you might see a GIANT EARTHWORM! 🪱

In New Zealand it’s time for the second round of the global soil biodiversity monitoring project ‘SoilBON’, and some incredible native earthworms turned up during fieldwork yesterday!

#SoilBiodiversity #WormWednesday #Soil #Earthworm #Nature #Entomology

Today is my final day of book writing, then it's off to the copyeditor and out of my hands!

It's been a true labour of love, and I'm feeling very bittersweet. How better to cross the finish line than with a coffee in this mite-y good mug by Svenja Meyer
(https://smartwork.bigcartel.com/)

#Nature #Soil #SoilBiodiversity #BookLover #Author #AuthorLife #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet

Welp. Only one month left to finish my edits, and then the book is off for copy editing and out of my hands… if I fall off the radar over the next few weeks, you’ll know why!

The US publication date has now been announced as 1st September 2026, and it’s available now for US preorder! All the links can be found on the book’s Penguin Random House webpage: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/779567/the-world-beneath-our-feet-by-frank-ashwood/

#NatureBooks #SciComm #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet #Soil #SoilBiodiversity

Wishing everyone a very happy holiday. May the festive velvet worm crawl into all of your houses tonight and boop your sleeping snoots with its many adorable feet, as is tradition.

A sincere thanks for all the support throughout this crazy year. I'm looking forward to seeing my new book 'The World Beneath Our Feet' hit the shelves in August/September 2026... Let's make next year a big one for appreciating and protecting soil biodiversity!

#SoilBiodiversity #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet #SeasonsGreetings #HappyHoliday #HappyNewYear