Springtails have been in short supply for the last few weeks as we had the driest May for many years, but after a bit of rain this morning I was hopeful of my chances today. After manning
the NatureSpot stand at the Bradgate Park Wildlife Weekend, I strolled back through the park and did a bit of sampling. Sweeping the grass didn’t yield anything, but the Bracken proved more productive. There were several
Entomobrya intermedia (here seen tucking into a juicy slice of cucumber):
and lots of small golden springtails, which initially caused me a bit of head scratching:
It wasn't until I looked closer at the arrangement of the ocelli on the eye patch that the penny dropped - this characteristic arrangement of 3-1-4 ocelli instantly says
Deuterosminthurus pallipes - in this case, the yellow form repandus which is so common in this area:
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