Return of some old friends

The springtails like the rain. I quite like the rain too, but maybe not this much. With the change in the season the springtails have changed. Some time ago I adopted Orchesella cincta as my index species for recording effort, on the basis that it is the commonest species in lowland Britain. Thus, when you don't see one specimen for six months, you begin to doubt. But now the season has changed they're back, and they're everywhere, and along with them are some old friends I haven't seen for a few months, Emtomobrya albocincta and E. multifasciata.

Springs Can Only Get Better

Monobella grassei.

I've got to admit not putting too much effort into springtail recording recently. Partly this is a hangover from the summer and partly it's because I've been busy with other things, but I do regularly record springtails when I'm out and recently it's become clear that what I think of as the "winter species" are here. Foremost among these is one of my favourites, Monobella grassei, which i've found several times recently.

I can't wait for the leaf litter season to kick off.