Katiannidae, (Collembola) size approx 0.8mm only. Love these tiny springtails. can only see them if I get about 30 cm from them. and even at this size, boy can they spring away.

Crop from Moulting springtail plus eggs ? X2.

Crop from www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/51929985395/

Springtail on the greenhouse roof X2. Focus stacked using zerene

With the change towards cooler and damper weather, I've decided to re-start seeking-out and photographing springtails in our Staffordshire garden. I have a particular liking for globular springtails.

Initially, I've started by laying Laurel leaves on various areas of the lawn. Springtails like to congregate under these. In the morning, I carefully turn the leaves over and attempt to photograph any springtails that are present. Many "spring" away but with perseverance (at a bit of luck), I manage pics of some. I use laurel leaves because they can be manipulated without bending are are just about the right size. I use yellowing ones that have fallen from the plant and position with the underside (not the shiny side) in contact with the grass. The surface provides a nice background for the photographs too.

Here's what I photographed today. A stripey Sminthurinus elegans and two colour-forms of S. aureus. Interestingly, I am only (up to now) seeing the orangey form on one area of the lawn. The others are well distributed. I'm yet to see the "typical" yellow form of S. aureus in the garden this season.

Canon 1D4 + MP-E lens (at x5) + 25mm extension tube + TwinLite flash.

Tiny globular springtail- Sminthurinus niger. on a clay pot with some dewdrops on it's back. About 0.93 mm body length

A shot from a macro safari a springtail

I took a trip to Sheffield in search of rare and exotic Collembola and I was not disappointed. I had been reading an article about exotic introduced species of Collembola, see here pages 10-23 :-

www.ukeconet.co.uk/images/stories/aliens_proceedings.pdf

Anyway, I found quite a few different looking and very colourful Collembola, here is a first example. The above image is a focus stack of 4 images. I'm not sure if this is Genus nov.2 sp, nov or something else, there seemed to be quite a bit of variety in colour with these guys.These were associated with Erica (Heath or Heather), basically I was finding them on fallen decaying leaves lodged in the Heather. Anyway a couple of new species for the list and a great day out, despite the intense cold :o)

Taken with the MP-E and 36mm of extension tubes, these guys were no bigger than 1mm long :o)

I will do another post of these in a while, but I'm so tired tonight, I will leave you with this appetiser :o)

VIEW ON BLACK

Springtail on moss. Sminthurinus domesticus

Laowa 2.5-5x ultra macro lens

Family outing in Fred and Jean’s garden.

Deuterosminthurus sp. springtails

This is the time of the year to see springtails. They contribute to the health of your soil.

I saw these many years ago and because they are so tiny you have to look carefully for them. I knew I has seen the on our daisy petals and was very happy to find and photograph them again this year.

Males and females have a ritual before mating where they head butt each other and I managed to photograph a pair doing this. The females are much larger than the males.

Photos Swan View 7 August 2026

Springtail on a water barrel. Focus stacked using zerene

A very pale individual from the garden this morning; ~1.1 mm in length. I find these pale speckled forms particularly attractive.

This species seems to have a particular liking for crevices in stonework. They tuck themselves away there and thus offer reasonable opportunities for photography. They are also disinclined to "spring".

[Part of a garden survey of the "novel" springtail Katiannidae Genus nov.1 sp. nov. that I'm doing with FransJanssens@www.collembola.org initially, to establish the size and differences between the various instars.]

Canon 5D Mk III + MP-E lens (at 5x magnification) + 1.4x tele-extender + 25mm extension tube + YN24EX flash. Four images combined using Zerene Stacker. Cropped.

Taken in Battle Ground, Clark Co., WA, USA

Thanks to Frans Janssens for ID.

Springtail on a clay flowerpot #1

Dark Form

Another globular springtail on a fence rail. Focus stacked using zerene

Springtails in the compost bin. Ceratophysella sp.

This creature is approx 1.5mm - 2mm long. Hopefully these IDs are sounder than my previous efforts...

See previous pic for another angle.

I went back to the walled garden at Weston Park this morning. There was a good selection of globular springtails to see and photograph. This is a generally uncultivated grassy area with some fruit trees (mainly apple). The springtails were under fallen leaves on the wet grass.

Top left is a dark-form of Sminthurinus aureus and underneath it, another form of Sminthurinus aureus similar to the one I saw earlier in the week. The others are all Sminthurinus elegans (some darker than others). The individual bottom-right lacks the mid-dorsal stripe. These are designated Sminthurinus elegans forma ornata.

Here is a very small springtail

Sminthurus hispanicus

Another new globular Springtail for me. I'm currently enjoying a warmer Christmas holiday than I would ordinarily find in the UK, and whilst exploring I found a couple of these characters for my collection.

I was hoping for a more natural variety of shots, but these were hidden in long(ish) grass and I couldn't track any through the undergrowth so had to settle for these two that had landed on my khaki backpack and neoprene lens case.

7 images @ 6-7X magnification

Springtails in the compost bin X4Same FOV. Ceratophysella bengtssoni

Sprintails Katiannidae

Two globular springtails on a water barrel lid. Focus stacked using zerene

Globular springtail X4. Focus stacked using zerene. Dicyrtomina saundersi

28 mm reversed - stack of 2 pictures

Tripod posture : while grooming, the springtail suddenly lifted all legs of one side of the body. They remaine stable on the 3 legs of the other side of the body.

up : Entomobrya sp.

down left : Heteromurus major

down right : Isotomurus maculatus

Springtails on mould X2. Focus stacked using zerene

White blind springless springtail on the underside of a fallen leaf

A white, blind, springless springtail. Probably Kalaphorura burmeisteri. Found in leaf litter

Globular springtail on a water barrel. Focus stacked using zerene.

Another raft of springtails

I have noticed that the very young ones soon hide when one photograghs them. This is the same one I posted yesterday, hiding from me, under the flower! The adults seem less nervous and do´nt seem to mind. Had to get to ground level for this one!

Globular springtails on a fence post. Focus stacked using zerene.

Globular springtails on the side of my large pond just near the water line. I assume they are Sminthurides aquaticus although I'm puzzled that it is only the small ones picking each other up by the antennae - I thought this was part of their courtship behaviour ?

Globular springtail. Focus stacked using zerene

Globular springtail Sminthurinus niger. 0.96mm body length

Strange mould with springtails X2. In the compost bin

Springtails on a clay pot X4. Sminthurinus domesticus

Taking a globular springtail for a walk. Focus stacked using zerene but I cheated and merged a picture of another springtail taken at higher mag. You can see the proper size dufference here www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/11167726253/