So long old friend...

"Hey, come and have a look at this Doreen. There's a guy taking photographs of his rubbish bin!" 

Of course, I cannot be certain that's what the neighbours were saying; but I bet I wasn't too far from the truth. I agree it must have looked ridiculous, but most folk locally have gotten used to seeing me in all manner of odd positions and habitats with my camera. 

Here's what attracted my attention: if you cannot see in the first photo, I have circled the areas of interest in the second image..

I know! Ridiculously minute eh? Hard to see at all with the naked eye.

What am I talking about?

Let me furnish you with some facts:

These could be described as the most abundant insect on the planet with 300 million per acre of land. They could if they were insects. Once considered to be insects, now they are classed as non-insect hexapods apparently.

The name of Collembola comes from the Greek words kolla (meaning glue) and embolos (meaning peg). They have a 'ventral tube' which is thought to be important for regulating their water intake, but it also helps them to stick to surfaces.

Also known as Springtails; a name that derives from the fork-like organ located under the abdomen that can spring the creature into the air so high that it has been likened to a man jumping the Eiffel Tower.

Collembola are one of the few creatures that continue to moult once they become adult (a friend told me that one, and I believe her, 'cos I checked it out).

But what I love about these interesting characters is that most people will live their whole lives without ever knowing about them, or seeing one!

I started with this image because it does give a sense of scale compared to the much larger aphid nymph at the top of the picture, which in itself is still only around 5mm.

Collembola are very active early morning, when conditions are damp, which suits them well.

Why does the body of this one remind me of a cooked chicken!

A particularly nicely marked individual with a 'red/orange' back. These are all globular springtails in the 'Katiannidae' family.

Here's a short extract from a book I have been reading about the human brain...

"The secret to consciousness is in the eyes"

If I am interpreting this passage correctly, the author is saying that unless a creature has 'humanoid eyes' it is not conscious? 

As I understand it, a humanoid eye is: 'an organ of vision



 and light perception. In humans the eye is of the camera type, with an iris diaphragm and variable focusing.' 

Other types of eye are the simple eye, found in many invertebrates, and the compound eye, found in insects and many other arthropods.

The camera type of eye, which forms excellent images, is found in all vertebrates, in cephalopods (such as the squid and octopus), and in some spiders. 

If then a spider looks at you, which in my experience they often do, it must be conscious? Whereas an insect cannot be? Hmmmm, I am not convinced by the eminent professor Dr. Allan H. Ropper's assertions! Are you?

The 'Smithsonian' magazine recently ran this article: (extract) The authors of the paper, philosopher Colin Klein and cognitive scientist Andrew Barron of Australia’s Macquarie University, aren't arguing that insects have deep thoughts and desires, like “I want to be the fastest wasp in my nest” or “Yum, this pear nectar is good!” But they do suggest that invertebrates could be motivated by subjective experience, which is the very beginning of consciousness.

So what else did I discover whilst searching for collembola, besides the fact that people think I am one sandwich short of a picnic, two bricks short of a full load, that my river doesn't run all the way to the sea, my cheese has fallen off the cracker (you getting the idea now?)...

Well, I did find this faberoonie barkfly/louse...

Why barkfly?

The National Barkfly Recording Scheme has this explanation: You may not have come across the name barkfly before, which is not surprising since it was only coined in 2003.

Keith Alexander proposed the name as an alternative to the previously used vernacular name of barklice. Why? As he put it, “I have started to refer to the arboreal species as "barkflies", as the term "lice" has such a bad name with people.

If we wish to promote an interest in these delightful insects for their own sake, then we do need an attractive vernacular name”.

What do you mean who is Keith Alexander? I dunno! I ain't the oracle ya know. Remember? I am that guy at the back of the queue when they were handing out brains! Actually, I do know who he is; he's the recording scheme coordinator at the N.B.R.S.

This tiny leafhopper was also sitting out the bad weather on my rubbish bins. 

I've actually found a few hoppers in recent weeks...

What you have just viewed is an almost finished blog update that I started in mid- December 2020.

But then I suddenly lost all interest in completing the update when something much more important happened. My little terrier Herbie became increasingly ill and unstable, and on Christmas Eve he sadly passed.

This was the last photo I took of him, looking all of his 15 years plus.

I had to keep telling myself he was just a dog: but of course, nothing could be further from the truth. He was a companion on my wallks for so long. I told him my troubles. He was well known locally as a cute little man with a passion for people and dogs he liked; and contempt for those he didn't! Even now the house feels strangely empty without him. 

R.I.P. Herbs: thanks for the joy you brought to so many.

How about a 'Zombie' story just to end on: cheer us all up?

Spider with a parasitic wasp egg

Certain species of parasitoid wasps lay their eggs on spiders' backs and their larvae can control their brains after hatching, according to a new study.

Soon after the larvae emerge, they effectively take control over the spider's mind and force it to build an unusual web which acts as a cocoon for the wasp larva. 

The young wasp eats the spider when the web is done and, when the arachnid serves no purpose, the insects encompass themselves within it before emerging as adult wasps.

It was already known that some species of wasps parasitise spiders but  how they take control of their minds was not. 

What amazes me is that the wasps know exactly where to place the egg to avoid the spider being able to remove it.