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#soilbiodiversity

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frankashwood
Frank Ashwood @frankashwood@flipping.rocks · 11h ago
The cosmopolitan 'moss' springtail (Neanura muscorum) navigating a miniature forest of fungi on a decaying log. But it isn't alone — all those transparent blobs on its body are in fact curled-up, hitchhiking nematode worms (you can see these better in the second photo)! Much like the baby mite in my last post, these tiny worms are using a larger animal to help them disperse to new environments. It's thought that this 'phoretic' behaviour might be a stepping stone in how parasitism evolved in some nematodes. Read all about the incredible ways soil animals have adapted to the challenges of life, in my upcoming book #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet, which lands just one month from now! #SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #Nature #Entomology #Soil
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frankashwood
Frank Ashwood @frankashwood@flipping.rocks · 4d ago
How about a cheeky bit of mite-on-mite action to help with the midweek slump? This hard-bodied oribatid mite has an uninvited hitchhiker taking it for a ride. The stowaway is a juvenile dust mite (Astigmatina), which is using a special pair of suction pads to keep it tightly clamped onto its host. It’s so well adapted for hitching a lift, that it has entirely given up on feeding during transit, with its mouthparts reduced and its digestive system effectively shut down. The baby mite will stay clamped on like this until its host arrives at greener pastures, where it will then drop off, regrow its feeding ability and eventually develop into an adult. The scientific term for this hitchhiking behaviour is 'phoresy', and plenty of soil animals do it - but mites have arguably perfected it. When you're this tiny, it really pays to outsource your means of travel! #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet #SoilBiodiversity #Macrophotography #SoilEcology #Nature #NaturePhotography #Entomology #Acarology
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frankashwood
Frank Ashwood @frankashwood@flipping.rocks · Jul 14, 2026
This adorable little creature is one of New Zealand's endemic giant springtails, but it's not just ANY giant springtail... I first discovered this springtail population two years ago, living up in the few remaining patches of native forest in the Port Hills of Christchurch. This put them on the map - nobody had ever seen them near the city before, so it was a wonderful surprise to find them there! They appear a lot smaller than other members of their species that I've found elsewhere, making me wonder if they're undergoing a form of island dwarfism in the small, fragmented areas of bush. Maybe these ones aren't so 'giant' after all... #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet #SoilBiodiversity #Entomology #SoilFauna #Macrophotography
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frankashwood
Frank Ashwood @frankashwood@flipping.rocks · Jul 06, 2026
Did you know that the European mole (Talpa europaea) has a toxin in its saliva which paralyses earthworms, their favourite food? This means that the moles can then store the paralysed earthworms in special 'larder' chambers within their burrows, where they are kept alive and fresh until later consumption. These larders have been reported to contain many hundreds of earthworms at a time! When it's time to visit their larder for a snack, these moles have a clever trick to make sure they don't consume all the unpleasant soil stuck inside the paralysed earthworm's guts... by rolling the earthworm between their front paws, they forceably squeeze the soil out of the worm, making their meal much less gritty! #SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet #MacroFauna #Nature #MacroPhotography #NaturePhotography
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frankashwood
Frank Ashwood @frankashwood@flipping.rocks · Jul 01, 2026
Turn over any rotting log and you might find these beautiful structures, although you'll need a decent lens to appreciate them. Known as the common coral slime (Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa) based on its coral-like appearance, this slime mold species is truly cosmopolitan, with a global distribution (this photo was taken in New Zealand). The common coral slime was first described in 1729 by Pier Antonio Micheli, the Italian botanist who discovered fungal spores and is considered the 'founding father' of mycology — the branch of biology which concerns fungi. #SoilBiodiversity #Mycology #Fungi #SlimeMolds #MacroPhotography #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet
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frankashwood
Frank Ashwood @frankashwood@flipping.rocks · Jun 28, 2026
It's only two months now until the UK/Commonwealth and EU release of The World Beneath our Feet, and the US release is just a month after that! It's all feeling very real all of a sudden. I'll be back in the UK in September, with lots of exciting book promotion on the horizon. Pre-orders are SUPER IMPORTANT, so if you or someone you care about would like a book about soil and the incredible life it contains, please go reserve a copy from your preferred book seller now! (PS: It's got lots of my macrophotography in it too) #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet #Soil #SoilBiodiversity #Macrophotography #Nature #NatureBook #booksbooksbooks #AuthorLife #NaturalHistory #NonFiction
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frankashwood
Frank Ashwood @frankashwood@flipping.rocks · Jun 21, 2026
Adventures of a tiny white gummy bear. When you're a springtail this smol, microfungi are perfect drinking vessels, and slime mold sporangia are towering trees. I've not been out with my camera much lately; with parenthood, work and book edits taking up all my time. But I hope to pick back up with the macrophotography very soon! New Zealand's hidden soil treasures await discovery! #Macrophotography #NaturePhotography #Soil #SoilBiodiversity #Entomology #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet
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