If you like insects, the colder months offer rather slim pickings. Of course, you can root around under logs and stones, take a peek under flaking bark or tease apart large grass tussocks to reveal myriad overwintering insects, none of which are all that enamoured with being disturbed.
Insects that are active at this time of year and adapted to colder conditions are relatively few, but on calm, still days you can’t miss the dancing columns of winter gnats or the ghostly forms of male winter moths picked out by car headlights.
Less conspicuous insects that are still out and about include the fascinating animal commonly known as the snow flea, which is actually a type of scorpionfly. Interestingly, scorpionflies are the closest living relatives of true fleas, so the common name of ‘snow flea’ is actually quite apt.
Female Snow flea. Photo: blickwinkel (Alamy Stock Photo)
In the UK, snow fleas are widely distributed, all the way from Cornwall up to northern Scotland, but they are not easy to find. They’re small (3–4.5mm) and never seem to occur in profusion. Their favoured habitat is sparsely vegetated ground with areas of bare soil and clumps of moss in heathland/moorland and open woodland glades.
If you want to try to find one, they are most frequently observed in November, although you could try your luck anytime between September and March. Take a look at the National Biodiversity Network Atlas to see where they’ve been spotted.
Unsurprisingly, little is known about the biology of this strange winter insect. It’s been suggested they feed on moss, but it’s more likely that they feed on tiny invertebrates, such as mites and springtails. Get out there and see if you can fill in some of the blanks.
