12.07.18 - The Drought Continues

The East Midlands in now in the worst drought for several decades. Not surprisingly, springtails are thin on the ground (which is absolutely bone dry). Part of our local churchyard is managed to encourage wildlife, so I turned out at 6am before it warmed up. There was no dew - all the vegetation was completely dry - but sweeping long grasses (choosing the few remaining green patches) yielded a lot of Entomobrya intermedia:


There was also a single Entomobrya nicoleti:




Deuterosminthurus pallipes was also abundant:



Not a big haul but good considering the drought.