Today with the sky overcast and the thermometer at 25 degrees F a few snow fleas (order Collembola) were atop the snow and active.
There are some 675 known species of Collembola in America north of Mexico. Most live in the leaf litter, but habitats as diverse as the surface of stagnant water, under bark, and in the canopy of trees have been colonized by members of this order. There are few places they can't be found.
I have no idea which of the 675 known species I was seeing today. They were in sun melted 'wells' around phone poles and, to my surprise, many were laboriously climbing those poles. I took pictures of some that were 3 to 4 feet above the surface of the snow, a towering height for such a tiny climber, and they were still headed up!
Mysteries abound. Which species was I seeing? Why were they scaling vertical structures? Who knows? Just getting a picture of one of these hyperactive pepper specks is a challenge.
John
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