As of last week it started to rain, finally, so I’m back! I went out today and found this Tetranychus species of spider mite, complete with webbing, which you can just make out in the background. A stunningly beautiful colour. I can still take photos, which is a relief. #mite #spidermite

Vote Giant Springtail! There are only a few days left to vote giant springtail in the New Zealand Bug of the Year competition- the only soil animal in the competition. Look at his little face! #bugoftheyear #springtail bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-20...

An old photo of a larval Phronia species of fungus gnat. I love it- it looks so like a koala, cute fly larvae are the way forwards… #cute #diptera #mycetophilidae

Another day, another Dicyrtomina saundersi, and one of the easiest springtails to photograph. While they're not often as robustly coloured as D. ornata, they do look rather similar, apart from the barred pattern on their rumps, which D. ornata don't have. #springtail #macro #soil #soilanimal

This is a lovely Mycetophilidae (fungus gnat) larva I photographed yesterday in a very wet woodland in South Somerset, UK. We have had severe flooding in the area again this winter. Endless, it seems and not great for macro photography. However, some larval genera of fungus gnat love it… #macro

Not long to go now. The New Zealand bug of the year voting has a few weeks left. So far, this amazing springtail, Holacanthella is doing really well. If you haven’t voted- if you could that would be great (just vote once, for Holacanthella!) bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-20...

#Flies #Diptera Coming up to five years since the publication of 'Arthropedia: an illustrated alphabet of invertebrates'. Three years work in the making and some fabulous invertebrates found while doing so.

We're halfway through the Bug of the Year '25 contest, and the Giant Springtail is still in the lead! BUT there's still four weeks of voting left, so get on it! Vote here, and please share with your friends and family: bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-20... #TeamGiantSpringtail #Invertebrate 🧪

Ironic and sadly apposite that blue Monday falls today of all days. No words really, just thankful there’s a kinder place to be, away from the whirlwind, where good things can still grow. I’ve been following a lot of writers and poets today on here, and I can really recommend it.

pheraedia pumilis is a tiny, 0.5mm springtail, not often photographed. It has a really distinctive shape- hence its Latin name. They’re really common on lawns so can be a fun one to find in winter, under fallen leaves… #springtail #soil

Another reminder to vote in NZ bug of the year. It just has to be the giant springtail, Holacanthella. No ifs, no buts. Raising awareness for these amazing animals is super important. Here is the link… bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-20...

I’ve decided for no reason, that Tuesday should be ‘make a mite your mate’ day. So here is a photo of Euzetes globulus, a very common oribatid mite. Can’t believe some people hate them. They’re amazing. #mite #soil #soilanimal #uk

Happy Saturday to everyone. Here is a lovely and super-friendly Dicyrtoma fusca… #springtail #collembola #soil #soilanimal #macro #macrophotography

Linking to my previous post, this is one of my favourite photos- nematodes in nictation- a stage of development when some nematodes raise up and attach themselves to a host (phoresy) to travel to other locations. Very cool to photograph. #nematode #macro #soil

Ah, nematodes. This is a free living nematode, which are a little larger than other nematodes, meaning that they are possible to photograph with my camera. #nematode #soil #macro #macrophotography

In case you missed it; check out the first video on Life in the Soil, dealing with the biodiversity inhabiting this substrate. The third video will go live later this week, on Thursday! youtu.be/qtd_TeBYy8s

This is such a stunning animal- a very common Novakatianna species of springtail from New Zealand and a species that I always try to photograph when I see it. #springtail #collembola #newzealand #cute #soil #soilanimal

So, it’s about time everyone got behind the bug of the year 2025 contest as Holacanthella is nominated as one of the ‘bugs’ and to see a springtail winning would be beyond awesome. So please please please follow this link for more info… www.frankashwood.com/boty2025

Happy 2025 to everyone. I’ve finally written a ‘how to’ guide to extreme macro photography on my website blog… all you ever wanted to know about taking extreme macro photographs! #macro #macrophotography #extrememacro #springtail #chaosofdelight

Happy New Years Eve, or New Years Day to all, depending where you are. Here’s to 2025 and soil animals and their allies everywhere. We all know it’s going to be hard, so us science nerds must at least stick together for sanity. I’m glad Bluesky happened. Let’s hope this kind space continues.

In the UK, we have one eurypauropod, Trachypauropus britannicus, a sclerotised and flattened type of pauropod. Pauropods are a sister group of the millipedes and centipedes, and are cute, tiny and have bifurcated antennae, unique for any animal with antennae. #soil #cute #mesofauna #soilanimal

This beauty is Ptenothrix atra, a rare UK springtail that I luckily found in some woodland on the Cleveland way in North Yorkshire a couple of days ago. Very happy to have seen this species again… #springtail #collembola #macro #macrophotography #yorkshire #soil #soilanimal

This is a tiny, 0.2mm mite nymph, struggling to get through a world of fungal hyphae. Life’s like that sometimes. Mites at this stage of development only have six legs and will go though another stage where it gains an extra set of legs. Which is cool. #mite #soil #macro #mesofauna #fungi

In the southern hemisphere, there is a subfamily of biting midges that have the most amazing waxy extrusions on their backs as larvae. This is Metaforcipomyia, and they are just incredible. #midge #newzealand #larvae #macro

I forgot to post the bloody photo! So have re-uploaded… once again, here is a beautiful Labidostommatidae mite from New Zealand for a Sunday evening. I loved photographing these- not the easiest of mites to photograph but always stunning. #mite #newzealand

This is a Podura aquatica and a female Sminthurides aquaticus who are, not surprisingly, chilling out at the edge of my pond. Their body ratios are so different and show off how unusual P.aquatica is. Amazing. #springtail #chaosofdelight #collembola #macro #macrophotography #pondlife #cute

So, my one nod towards Crustmas, our only terrestrial UK ostracod, Terrestricythere elisabethae that I was lucky enough to photograph earlier this year, with David Horne, the UK’s main ostracod guy. A very fun day. #crustmas #ostracod #UK

A cute baby snail for, I’ve decided, snail Sunday. What a beauty. #baby #snail #newzealand #soil

Just a cute D. minuta springtail for a windy Saturday evening. Did you know that springtails have been found in atmospheric samples thousands of metres up? Bon voyage to all my springtail friends today, and enjoy your blown away holiday... #springtail #collembola #soil #soilanimal #macro

Just a shoutout for my website! #soilanimals #soil #macro #macrophotography

Millepedehood is a spectrum

My latest blog post for World Soil Day 2024 #WSD #WorldSoilDay

Happy World Soil Day!! #WSD #worldsoilday #mite #mesofauna #macro #macrophotogrpahy

Getting ready for World Soil Day tomorrow, the 5th December. So here’s a pre-celebratory springtail, an amazing colour variant of Dicyrtoma fusca, a common but super cool UK springtail. #springtail #collembola #soil #soilanimal #UK #macro #worldsoilday #macrophotography

This is a delightful Smithurides aquaticus female, an aquatic springtail species that lives on the edge of ponds and still water. Springtails have a special place in my heart, so I always include the non-soil dwelling ones under my ‘soil animal’ umbrella. #collembola #springtail #soil #cute

The tropics of Australia have many wonderful springtails, like this Pseudachorutes species. It really is this blue and plush. Just ridiculous. #springtail #collembola #soilanimal #australia #tropics #rainforest

A lovely Dicyrtomina ornata springtail from Somerset in the UK showing off its crazy colours. These guys are around 1mm big and just an utter delight in every way. I love them more than anything. Springtails really are the best…! #springtail #collembola #macro #soil #soilanimal

So, @frankashwood.bsky.social persuaded/reminded me that I should come back to Bluesky, especially after the exodus from Musk’s odious platform, as many people seem to have come here. So here’s a baby Holacanthella laterospinosa, which be of the amazing giant springtails from New Zealand…!

A moody Sminthurinus aureus f ochropus.

So, snails. Cute.