Warning: serious tongue twister here. Despite the very long name, it is a very small springtail which owns it. In this microcosmos even the fine leaf hairs can be an obstacle for it to negotiate. Less than 1mm long (3/64in) long, barely seen by the naked eye, but so very cute … in my eyes, anyway. It goes without saying – double-click image for a closer look.
© Peter Hillman ♦ 11th March 2020 ♦ Back garden, Staffordshire ♦ Nikon D7200
Click and click again on the image to get that little bit closer …
These are barely visible with the naked eye. I only spotted them by closely looking at the leaves of my crabapple to see them scurrying over the surface, although they can occur on most vegetation. The fine hairs on the leaves must be like grass to them. Even with the Raynox 250 clipped to the end of my Sigma 105mm macro lens cranked up to the max magnification you still have to crop a fair bit to get close and see how cute these little springtails are. And they do have a spring in them too! This is the yellow form repandus. I have featured the rarer purple plum coloured one before, but you can have another look-see below.
June 2019, rear garden, South Staffordshire, England. © Pete Hillman.
Nature Journeys 