I never knew that a #springtail could have antennae like these! I just saw this little one over on tumbr and I'm amazed. This one is from the genus Temeritas, spotted in Japan.

It looks like a berry with two cat whiskers stuck in it. Amazing creature! #SpringtailSunday

@frankashwood looook!

(pics by pita_gooora, iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/155612427)

https://www.tumblr.com/patheticmosasaur1/762498983400701952/todays-invertebratetemeritas

In New Zealand, the invertebrate life is mostly nocturnal, so for macrophotography it's best to go out with your camera at night.

I'm from the UK, so a bit wary of going into the forest after dark, but I'm slowly getting used to it here (while still taking safety precautions of course). It's absolutely worth it - you see so many more creatures and can get amazing behaviour shots like this springtail feeding on fungi!

#Macrophotography #SoilEcology #SoilBiology #SoilFauna #Collembola #SpringtailSunday

The perils of academia - it's busy season with research and teaching, so I've not got much headspace for keeping up with social media right now.

While I wade through the mire, please enjoy this beautiful springtail (family Paronellidae), with its impressive hockey-stick hairs and amazingly long antennae and springing organ!

#SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #SoilFauna #Macrophotography #SpringtailSunday #Collembola #Entomology

One of the cool folks from the Springtails server made a YouTube for springtail timelapses, I love it, give it some support if that's your thing:

https://www.youtube.com/@Springlapsing

#springtail #SpringtailSunday #collembola #entomology

!! SPRINGTAIL CUTENESS OVERLOAD !!

Here's more globular springtails than you can shake a blade of grass at! Enjoy!

#Macrophotography #SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #Collembola #SpringtailSunday #Entomology

springtails are literally like 👇 and that's why I love them

#SpringtailSunday #ThisIsHappeningIGuess

Do you love #SpringtailSaturday, but feel it's always over too soon?

Dry your eyes, my friend.

They said it couldn't be done.

They said that dedicating more than one day a week to springtails was impossible, merely the arrogant pipe-dream of a madman.

But, guess what?

It's #SpringtailSunday.

It's #SpringtailSunday!

Today I saw this pile of adorability - a group of bright pinkie-purple springtails.

Species of Poduromorpha such as these are known to occasionally 'swarm', sometimes on the surface of water and even on snow! They're totally harmless and are important decomposers in soil systems.

#SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #Macrophotography #Collembola