🎄 For #InsectAdvent Day 5, meet #Mecoptera 🦂
#WinterFact: ‘#SnowFleas’, a #Mecopteran of the family #Boreidae, aren't actually fleas - The name is often used for a species of #scorpionfly ❄️
#WorldSoilDay: Their presence is an indicator of healthy soil rich in organic matter.
A female Snow Flea posing on a fallen leaf on acid grassland. One of the Mecoptera order, like scorpionflies, but flightless, living down among short, Polytrichum mosses on sandy soil.
My first Snow Flea (Boreus hyemalis) of the winter at Cali Heath @yorkswildlife.bsky.social reserve today. Nice of her to pose out in the open on a fallen leaf, so didn't need to spend hours waiting for one to emerge from the Polytrichum moss! @ynuorg.bsky.social #Mecoptera #Boreidae #ukwildlife
