Podium finish for the Giant Springtail!

Congratulations to Team Velvet Worm for a hard-fought and well-deserved victory - making Ngãokeoke the 2025 New Zealand Bug of the Year!

It's brilliant to see a soil/deadwood invertebrate win the contest (they live alongside giant springtails!). Having two soil inverts in the top three winners is amazing awareness raising for soil biodiversity across the country and the world!

Thanks for all the support for #TeamGiantSpringtail, we'll be back to win another year (but maybe I'll take next year off, it was a lot of work). Nice to see my photos in the Guardian article on the contest too: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/20/velvet-worm-new-zealand-bug-of-the-year-winner

We're all on tenterhooks waiting for the results to be announced tomorrow for the NZ Bug of the Year competition!

Here's a few of my favourite contenders. Now voting is over I'll admit I have been quietly rooting for the velvet worm too - they're amazing animals, almost as great as giant springtails!

Whatever happens, thanks so much everyone for your support and patience with my endless vote soliciting on here.

Good luck tomorrow #TeamGiantSpringtail! Fingers crossed!

#Entomology #BugoftheYear2025 #SoilBiodiversity #NewZealand #Aotearoa

ONLY THREE HOURS LEFT TO VOTE!

Anyone in the world can vote in the Bug of the Year contest - It's quick and easy! Please go vote for the Giant Springtail RIGHT NOW!

https://www.bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2025/

If it wins, I'll get one as my first ever tattoo!!

#Invertebrate #TeamGiantSpringtail #Entomology #Collembola #SoilBiodiversity #SoilFauna

Only 24 hours left to vote for the Giant Springtails to win Bug of the Year!

If I haven't convinced you yet, perhaps this photo I took of one DEFENSIVELY BLEEDING will win you over. So metal.

We need every vote we can get, so please vote now: https://www.bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2025/

#Invertebrate #TeamGiantSpringtail #BugoftheYear2025 #BugoftheYear #Entomology #Collembola

Colouring contest results!!

There were so many amazing entries, but these two were so good I couldn't decide between them and split the result into two categories 😅

Congratulations to Kora and Heidi for these epic giant springtails, I'll be in touch to arrange your prizes!

There's only two days left to vote for the giant springtail to win bug of the year. Vote now: https://www.bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2025/

#TeamGiantSpringtail #BugoftheYear2025 #Collembola #Entomology

Only four days left in the Bug of the Year 2025 contest!

If every single one of my followers on here votes giant springtail RIGHT NOW, we'll easily beat the winner's votes last year!

Let's make it happen - we can't lose to the velvet worm in the last leg!

https://www.bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2025/

#TeamGiantSpringtail #BugoftheYear #Macrophotography #SoilBiodiversity #Enotomology #Invertebrate

Less than two weeks left to get your vote in for Giant Springtails in the Bug of the Year contest!

https://www.bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2025/

It only takes a moment to vote, and you can learn about some amazing critters while doing so. Consider it a nice momentary distraction from everything else that's going on.

#TeamGiantSpringtail #BugoftheYear #Entomology #MemeGiantSpringtail #Collembola #Invertebrate

🚨Colouring contest update🚨

The #TeamGiantSpringtail colouring competition has had some impressive submissions, well done to everyone who has contributed so far!

To help some local libraries get involved, I'm extending the deadline to 14th Feb - so there's still time to submit a romantic valentines springtail drawing!

Just download the template and have a go! Post your finished artwork on here with the tag #TeamGiantSpringtail and make sure you vote for the giant springtail in the contest!

Template here: https://www.bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Giant-Springtail-scaled.jpg

#BugoftheYear #Entomology #BugoftheYear2025 #SoilBiodiversity

Less than 3 weeks left till #BugoftheYear2025 is over!

I'll go back to posting photos of other lovely soil invertebrates when voting closes on 17th Feb... but until then it's gonna step up a notch!

Just look at this little face and go vote Giant Springtail: https://www.bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2025/

#Invertebrate #Collembola #Entomology #Macrophotography #SoilBiodiversity #Aotearoa #NewZealand #TeamGiantSpringtail

Jeff just got even sexier.

There's only four weeks left to vote for Giant Springtails to win the Bug of the Year contest. Let's get these tiny prehistoric marvels the public attention and conservation support they need!

https://www.bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2025/

#Invertebrate #TeamGiantSpringtail #Entomology #SoilBiodiversity #Collembola #BugoftheYear #BugoftheYear2025