Thanks to the recent wet weather we’ve been having, my husband and I spent most of our walk through the Great Woods Conservation Area in Mansfield yesterday navigating around flooded sections of the trail. While most areas were simply flooded, one area was still largely frozen solid. In addition to ice, this section was unique in that it was the only one to have clusters of tiny bugs covering its surface, creating an interesting polkadot pattern. Closer inspection revealed that these polkadots were rafts of springtails.

I’m certainly not a springtail expert, but these reminded me of Anurida maritima, the seashore springtail, that I’ve seen in great numbers in tide pools and pooled water near marshes. But A. maritima, as its Latin name suggests, is only found in marine environments: coastal waters, rocky shores and tidal marshes. So it seems unlikely that the critters I found in an icy freshwater puddle in Mansfield could be this species. At the very least, it seems likely that these springtails are in the same family as the seashore springtail: the Hypogastruridae family. In addition to their general morphology seeming to be a match, Hypogastrurid springtails are also the ones that are most likely to be found in swarms.

If I had to suggest a lower classification, I’d venture to guess that perhaps these springtails were snow fleas (Hypogastrura nivicola). I was initially surprised that I only noticed them in a single puddle in a very puddle-filled hike. But this was also the only puddle that was still mostly ice. So, perhaps there’s a connection there? Although snow fleas are very abundant, they go largely unnoticed during the summer. They live in the soil and leaf litter, eating fungi, algae, and decaying organic matter. However, because snow fleas have a higher tolerance for colder temperatures compared to other bugs and insects, they can become active as things start to melt, moving up through breaks in the snow and ice. And it was really the contrast with the ice below that made them stand out in the first place.

If you’re reading this and you are an expert in springtail identification, I’d love confirmation or corrections on my proposed identification.