Springtails – 11/29/20

Observer: Kurt Buermann

Observation Date: 11/29/20

Observation Time: 10:00 a.m.

Observation Location: 45 Furnace St.

Common Name: Globular Springtails

Scientific Name: Sminthuridae

Comments: I have often seen these brown dots floating in water, ponds or birdbaths. Today I got really curious. With the naked eye they seem like some sort of pollen. If you scoop a few onto your finger tip they jump off so they are very much alive. Each is separate but they really seem to get together in clumps. They are about 1 to 1.5 millimeters in size.

More information: Wikipedia