The Springtails

Popped outside the back door with the camera at noon and saw a dung fly sitting on the ivy. A much smaller fly was gradually approaching. I shot in the split second before little became lunch. :( That was to be my Blip.

Then I spotted some globular springtails high up in the hedge on some haws. Unusual as they are very prone to drying out and are usually to be found at ground level amongst leaf litter. They are members of a subclass called Collembola and are not considered to be insects because they have internal mouthparts. They have a tiny lever which catapults them out of trouble and if they land on their backs they use the retractable trunk-like thing that they use for moisturising to flip themselves the right way up.

I was surprised to see that I'd got three, more or less, in focus. That got me thinking of The Springfields, a sixties trio which included Dusty. And that got me thinking of 'Son Of A Preacher Man' in 1968 when the local vicar's son was sweet on me. :)