Was lucky to spot this springtail on a dewy blade of grass this morning

Springtails in the compost bin X4. Ceratophysella bengtssoni

not really good in focus.......I'm still practising..........

I'm saying this is a springtail even though I don't know what I'm talking about. I just look around for pictures that look similar and steal their ID. This looks a lot like the springtails I've seen in LordV's stream.

This guy was about 1.5 to 2 mm long.

Taken with a reversed 49mm lens on bellows and sb600 flash.

*Update - Ptenothrix renateae

Again, from the gardens I was in this afternoon, These look like stripy boiled sweets under the magnifying glass. I was wondering if it might be I. viridis var. annulata? It looks like exactly the same shape and feel, just different coloured... There were a lot but annoyingly the only one that stayed still for long enough was this poor chap without antennae, so he/she looks a bit odd!

Eddie suggested I. gallicus which it certainly looks a lot like...

Springtail on clay pot. Sminthurinus domesticus.Taken at 5:1 FF and cropped a bit

Pogonognathellus.

I've got to admit I've been slacking off with the springtails over the last month or so. The drought started it off, but now we've had rain and the summer species are here. I need to get my act together again but the summer holiday feeling persists. A little break will do me good and I plan to do some pitfall trapping soon.

I visited a local walled garden/orchard that always has plenty of globular sptingtails this time of year. Here's a selection:

1. Sminthurinus elegans;

2. Sminthurinus aureus forma reticulata (or possibly S. reticulatus);

3. Orange form of Sminthurinus aureus (or possbly S. igniceps);

4. Orange form of Sminthurinus aureus;

5. Dark form of Sminthurinus aureus (with yellow eyebrows and antennae);

6. Possible Sminthurinus forma reticulata (but with very short antennae);

7. Dark form of Sminthurinus aureus (but with darker eyebrows and antennae). Possibly the atrata form;

8. Possible Sminthurinus reticulatus.

All these (and more) found in a short search under fallen Apple leaves.;

Springtails on a clay pot. Sminthurinus domesticus

Globular springtail on fence rail - focus stacked using zerene stacker

Globular springtail in dandelion flower. Taken at 4:1 and cropped slightly. About 2.03 mm body length. Sminthurus viridis

Springtail walking on water. Quite difficult to photograph these on water- apart from worrying about getting the lens wet, the sprintails sail over the surface with the slightest breeze :)

I'm told this looks like possibly Isotomurus unifasciatus, though unlikely to be possible to ID from a photo. Any thoughts please, Frans?

Thanks to Frans for ID - I. graminis.

Globular springtails at the seaside - Sminthurides aquaticus on the side of my pond

Springtail feeding on fungal hyphae of mushroom

Springtails on the fungus spore fields X2

...killed by a springtimestorm in march with rain, snow and hail.........

Don't think I've seen this one before....~1.5mm

Another well fed Springtail

More springtails on a skin fungi. Skin fungi is often on fallen logs and hugs the bark. Not understanding it all at the moment.

Globular springtail investigates a patch of moss. Focus stacked using zerene

Springtails in the mist X4

Springtails out sailing again on a puddle of water.

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

Thanks to Frans Janssens for ID.

Another rather pale individual; this one ~0.65 mm. Somewhat similar to the ones in the previous two post, so perhaps another pre-moult specimen of an earlier instar.

[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. As a result of the initial findings, Frans is speculating that there are two distinct groups:

Group 1 - where abd.6 in adults is pale, and

Group 2 - where abd.6 in adults is dark.

Canon MP-E65mm Macro (at 5x) + 1.4x tele-extender + 25mm extension tube + diffused MT24-EX Twinlite flash. Several images blended in PSE. Cropped.]

3-D cross-eye stereogram

Shot at 2:1 and cropped- This springtail had lovely patterns. They are about 1.5mm long.

Seems like every self-respecting macro photographer is posting photos of springtails this time of year. So, I thought it fitting that my first MP-E 65 shot should be one of a springtail.

I am still tweaking my lighting system before the summer, but this guy was shot at 5:1 and slightly cropped. He was about 1mm-1.5mm in length. As always, c&c is welcome.

For best results, please view LARGE

Enjoy!

This one is eating the flower

Springtails

www.nickybay.com

Current I.D. - Sminthurinus sp.5 Janssens and Phillips 2017

From a few miles northeast of Pittsburgh PA.

Sminthurides penicillifer ssp. bifidus

A few springtails

Globular springtail walking on damp greenhouse glass (with a milk bottle top behind suppling a little colour) when it suddenly started doing some rather odd contortions

The best I could to get a picture of this very tiny Springtail. It never stopped moving and I was fascinated by it. I am not sure my lens can manage a clear shot of this little creature. Identification courtesy of Bugguide. bugguide.net/node/view/1174202

Globular springtail with dewdrops. Focus stacked using zerene

Not sure what this Ptenothrix Springtail got into - birthday cake?

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

After the rain, springtails are happy :)