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Frank AshwoodAn alien creature traversing a distant world, or baby mite navigating the micro-fungi strewn surface of a decaying log? Arguably it's both!Take a closer look at the life beneath your feet, and you'll discover a whole new world of dazzling complexity.<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilEcology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilEcology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Acarology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Acarology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Nature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Nature</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/NaturePhotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NaturePhotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Soil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Soil</a>

Frank AshwoodThese are the beautiful spore-producing structures of plasmodial slime molds. Which is your favourite colour?Originally considered Fungi, these Myxomycetes are now classed as Amoebozoans - single celled organisms with thousands of nuclei... not animals or fungi but something else entirely!<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilEcology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilEcology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Fungi" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Fungi</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/MacroPhotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MacroPhotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Nature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Nature</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/MoldMonday" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MoldMonday</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Soil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Soil</a>

anlomedadA new study connects recent regionally confined warming in China 2010ff to their strive for healthy air by scrubbing SO2 from their coal chimneys. * In other news, India is lambasted by a politician for excluding most of their coal chimneys from SO2 scrubbing regulation. **And here's a curious side effect of acid rain from SO2: it reduces CO2 emissions from soil 💡 <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0341816221005725" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0341816221005725</a> "Acid rain reduces soil CO2 emission and promotes soil organic carbon accumulation in association with decreasing the biomass and biological activity of ecosystems: A meta-analysis" by Ziqiang Liu et al 2022So when large areas simultaneously get rid of SO2 pollution , CO2 emissions start to rise noticeably? Europe's SO2 reduction was fastest, USA is her typical laggard, and China began 2010ff and is now already on par with a mid-1990s Europe, much faster than USA. My musings: I guess, it means, once the soil removes the acid, CO2 emissions start to rise. AFAIK, acid removal is no automatism in forest soil but I can imagine, removal from agricultural land happens automatically bit by bit during subsequent harvests? (Yum!)Germany distributed chalk or something to her forest soils to counter the acidification and to rescue dying forests. But. Plants and other beings suffer during acidification. And when forests recover they raise their carbon uptake. Crop yields also recover when the soil does, I reckon. (Indeed! see *** and pic 2, and also ****. Now I wonder whether the elsewhere celebrated yield gains are more due to cleaner air than genetical engineering and pesticides!)Maybe, CO2 emissions from soil are balanced out by increased carbon uptake from healthier beings. Does the paper say anything about all these musings?"Overall, the responses of soil GHGs emissions to acid rain vary across different ecosystems, climates, soil types and experimental duration, and thus no consensus has emerged yet" 😁 * "East Asian aerosol cleanup has likely contributed to the recent acceleration in global warming" by Samset et al <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02527-3" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02527-3</a> A Conversation piece by the authors: <a href="https://theconversation.com/cleaner-air-in-east-asia-may-have-driven-recent-acceleration-in-global-warming-our-new-study-indicates-260601" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://theconversation.com/cleaner-air-in-east-asia-may-have-driven-recent-acceleration-in-global-warming-our-new-study-indicates-260601</a>** "‘Faulty premises’: Jairam Ramesh slams govt after it eases SO2 emission norms" <a href="https://theprint.in/india/faulty-premises-jairam-ramesh-slams-govt-after-it-eases-so2-emission-norms/2688855/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://theprint.in/india/faulty-premises-jairam-ramesh-slams-govt-after-it-eases-so2-emission-norms/2688855/</a> *** "The negative effects of simulated acid rain on maize physiology, grain quality and yield in a field trial" by Jidong Liao et al, 2025 <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1309104224003477" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1309104224003477</a>**** "More Power Generation, More Wheat Losses? Evidence from Wheat Productivity in North China" by Fujin Yi et al 2024 . <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10640-024-00841-6" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10640-024-00841-6</a><a href="https://climatejustice.social/tags/SO2" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SO2</a> <a href="https://climatejustice.social/tags/AcidRain" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AcidRain</a> <a href="https://climatejustice.social/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://climatejustice.social/tags/soil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#soil</a> <a href="https://climatejustice.social/tags/carbonUptake" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#carbonUptake</a> <a href="https://climatejustice.social/tags/CO2" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#CO2</a> <a href="https://climatejustice.social/tags/greenhousegases" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#greenhousegases</a> <a href="https://climatejustice.social/tags/agriculture" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#agriculture</a> <a href="https://climatejustice.social/tags/forest" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#forest</a> <a href="https://climatejustice.social/tags/cropyield" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#cropyield</a> <a href="https://climatejustice.social/tags/ClimateChange" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ClimateChange</a>

Frank AshwoodThis festival of waxy lumps is a baby biting midge, AKA a Forcipomyia larvae. Before they grow up to be bloodsuckers, they're surprisingly cute.They're very common on decaying logs here in Aotearoa, but I don't often photograph them. However, my good friend and fellow macrophotographer Andy Murray loves them, and has a whole webpage dedicated to them - so go check that out!<a href="https://www.chaosofdelight.org/forcipomyia" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.chaosofdelight.org/forcipomyia</a><a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilEcology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilEcology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilFauna" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilFauna</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Mesofauna" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Mesofauna</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macro" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Macro</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Nature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Nature</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/NaturePhotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NaturePhotography</a>

Ma Quest :ablobjam:25 July 2025 Stanmer Organics Open Day Stanmer Organics, Stanmer Park, Stanmer, Brighton BN1 9SE, UK <a href="https://stanmerorganics.com/news/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://stanmerorganics.com/news/</a><a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Community" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Community</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Food" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Food</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Brighton" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Brighton</a>#Hove <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/BrightonAndHove" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BrightonAndHove</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/OrganicFood" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#OrganicFood</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Soil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Soil</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/SoilAssociation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilAssociation</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/SolarPunkSunday" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SolarPunkSunday</a>

Ma Quest :ablobjam:Introducing Fork And Dig It "We have a strong agroecological ethos, which has organic soil management and protection at its heart. We pass on our knowledge freely, diversifying with Team-builds, Workshops and Education Days." <a href="https://forkanddigit.co.uk/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://forkanddigit.co.uk/</a><a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Community" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Community</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Food" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Food</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/BrightonAndHove" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BrightonAndHove</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Brighton" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Brighton</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Hove" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Hove</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Organic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Organic</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Volunteer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Volunteer</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Soil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Soil</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Education" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Education</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/CommunitySupportedAgriculture" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#CommunitySupportedAgriculture</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/SolarPunkSunday" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SolarPunkSunday</a>

Frank AshwoodYesterday we had earthworm cocoons, today I bring you springtail spermatophores!Springtails, like many other soil invertebrates, reproduce by a male leaving these structures (a blob of sperm-rich fluid on a stalk), which the female will sniff out, collect and use to fertilise her eggs. Very romantic!<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilEcology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilEcology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Nature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Nature</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/NaturePhotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NaturePhotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Collembola" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Collembola</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Soil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Soil</a>

Frank AshwoodDid someone bury a tiny lemon?Nope, this is an earthworm cocoon!After mating, both earthworms will produce a cocoon like this (they're hermaphrodites), containing a fertilised egg. Inside, a baby earthworm will grow, before hatching out the end like a tiny pink noodle. Inside the cocoons, wormlings are protected from drought, flooding and low oxygen conditions, and will hatch when conditions are good again! <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Soil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Soil</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilEcology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilEcology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Earthworm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Earthworm</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Nature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Nature</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/NaturePhotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NaturePhotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Entomology</a>

Ma Quest :ablobjam:RHS "Recycling your garden waste into home-made compost is both easy and environmentally friendly. Here we look at the basics of making this valuable soil improver and mulch." <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/soil-composts-mulches/composting" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.rhs.org.uk/soil-composts-mulches/composting</a><a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Composting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Composting</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Compost" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Compost</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Gardening" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Gardening</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/SolarPunkSunday" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SolarPunkSunday</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Waste" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Waste</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Horticulture" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Horticulture</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/GardeningMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#GardeningMastodon</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/RHS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RHS</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/SoilQuality" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilQuality</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/SoilRemediation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilRemediation</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Recycling" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Recycling</a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/Mulch" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Mulch</a>

Frank AshwoodPredatory flatworms are found in damp habitats, such as under logs. They have an eversible tube-like throat called a ‘pharynx’, which externally digests their prey alive.Here's one feeding on a land-hopper, a type of exclusively terrestrial shrimp found in the Southern Hemisphere. The New Zealand flatworm is an invasive species in parts of Europe, where it's threatening earthworm populations.<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilEcology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilEcology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Nature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Nature</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Worms" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Worms</a>

Frank AshwoodI’m currently writing a popular science book about the incredible world of soil - lucky me! I’m writing flat-out at the moment, which is why I’ve not been active on social media.They say a change is as good as a rest, so I’ve taken a cheeky writing retreat to tackle the next chapter! Gosh I love Kaikōura so much, where else can you see mountains falling into the sea?!<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Soil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Soil</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilEcology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilEcology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Writing</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/PopScience" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#PopScience</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Popsci" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Popsci</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Author" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Author</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/AuthorLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AuthorLife</a>

erol_foretWell: late April rain was insufficient in my forest. growing plants absorbed every of it and soils remained exactly as dramatically dry as before.no water = no life!In early May, a crucial breeding time period for most insects, observation spots in clearings were devoid of any soil insect, despite heat and sun. No ground beetles. No rove beetles. Nothing. Ludicrous!A little insect activity is detected under canopy only.Without any predator roaming, my clearings are turning into a slug paradise! (I did not shoot a picture because some people seem to be afraid of slugs). <a href="https://piaille.fr/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://piaille.fr/tags/SoilFauna" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilFauna</a> <a href="https://piaille.fr/tags/forest" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#forest</a>

Frank AshwoodI bring you some exciting news...I'VE DISCOVERED THE FIRST EVER GIANT SPRINGTAILS IN CHRISTCHURCH CITY! The closest known populations before this were at Arthur's Pass, but now we can add the Port Hills to their distribution map.Definitely my proudest observation from last week's iNaturalist City Nature Challenge.<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Collembola" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Collembola</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilEcology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilEcology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilFauna" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilFauna</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Nature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Nature</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a>

Frank AshwoodExcuse the radio silence from me lately, it's been a very intense University teaching semester.On the plus side, I've done LOADS of entomology-related lecturing, which has been great fun! Naturally, I've squeezed in plenty of soil invertebrate content to my lectures, such as this bizarre, not-quite-an-insect, Proturan!Protura are six-legged, wingless, eyeless and lack pigmentation and antennae. Instead, they raise their front pair of legs forwards as they move, which are covered in sensory hairs. This gives them the slightly comical appearance of a villain in Scooby-Do trying to sneak up menacingly behind someone!<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Invertebrate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Invertebrate</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilEcology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilEcology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilFauna" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilFauna</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Nature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Nature</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/NaturePhotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NaturePhotography</a>

Fully Automated! Solarpunk RPGHey Mastodon, we need some expertise on <a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/soil" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#soil</a> <a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/remediation" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#remediation</a> for a story. Have you ever done any hand-on <a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/fieldwork" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#fieldwork</a> inoculating dirt with a new <a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/microbiome" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#microbiome</a>? Do you know anyone who has? <a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/solarpunk" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#solarpunk</a> <a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/bioremediation" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#bioremediation</a> <a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/ecology" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#ecology</a> <a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/microbiology" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#microbiology</a>

Frank AshwoodWe've all been there: You've been hunting a moth all morning, and when you finally land the killing blow, you overcompensate and savage it so violently, you get its wing scales all up in your eyes. Then a human comes along with a camera to immortalise your embarrassment. Typical!<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Invertebrate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Invertebrate</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Arachnology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Arachnology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Aranea" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Aranea</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Spider" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Spider</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Nature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Nature</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/NaturePhotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NaturePhotography</a>

Frank AshwoodNow Bug of the Year is over, normal service can resume!Here's an incredibly feathery velvet mite (Chyzeriidae) from New Zealand. These active predators wander the forest floor, looking for springtails to ambush and drink dry using their piercing mouthparts! Beautiful but deadly.<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Invertebrate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Invertebrate</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Acarology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Acarology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Acari" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Acari</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilEcology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilEcology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Mesofauna" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Mesofauna</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Arthropod" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Arthropod</a>

Frank AshwoodIntroducing New Zealand's latest Bug of the Year- the magnificent Ngāokeoke or Velvet Worm!These amazing, ancient creatures were around long before the dinosaurs, and are taxonomically considered close relatives of Arthropods and Tardigrades. They have a unique method pf prey capture - using a pair of glue-gun organs on their heads to immobilise prey with a shower of sticky glue. Aotearoa has two genera of velvet worms: one lays eggs (Ooperipatellus, 1st photo) and the other gives live birth (Peripatoides, 2nd). Oh, and to mate, males deposit sperm onto the skin of their partner, which then burrow through the female's skin and migrate throughout their blood to be stored in special uterine tubes until needed!Truly remarkable creatures and well-deserving of their new title!<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilEcology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilEcology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Macrophotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Macrophotography</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Invertebrates" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Invertebrates</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Nature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Nature</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/NaturePhotography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NaturePhotography</a>

Frank AshwoodWe're all on tenterhooks waiting for the results to be announced tomorrow for the NZ Bug of the Year competition!Here's a few of my favourite contenders. Now voting is over I'll admit I have been quietly rooting for the velvet worm too - they're amazing animals, almost as great as giant springtails! Whatever happens, thanks so much everyone for your support and patience with my endless vote soliciting on here.Good luck tomorrow <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/TeamGiantSpringtail" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TeamGiantSpringtail</a>! Fingers crossed!<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/BugoftheYear2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BugoftheYear2025</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/NewZealand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NewZealand</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Aotearoa" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Aotearoa</a>

Frank AshwoodONLY THREE HOURS LEFT TO VOTE!Anyone in the world can vote in the Bug of the Year contest - It's quick and easy! Please go vote for the Giant Springtail RIGHT NOW!<a href="https://www.bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2025/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2025/</a>If it wins, I'll get one as my first ever tattoo!!<a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Invertebrate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Invertebrate</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/TeamGiantSpringtail" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TeamGiantSpringtail</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Entomology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Entomology</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/Collembola" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Collembola</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilBiodiversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilBiodiversity</a> <a href="https://flipping.rocks/tags/SoilFauna" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SoilFauna</a>

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