SNOW FLEAS AND THEIR FURCULA

“Snow fleas are visible on snow in sunny, wooded areas” was the calendar entry.  I had never heard of snow fleas but my Missouri Department of Conservation’s Natural Events Calendar (a.k.a. the do it calendar) has never lead me astray.  Here is what I have learned about snow fleas.  They are not fleas.  They are springtails.  Springtails (Class Collembola) get their name because they have a lever-like tail called a furcula that they can use to jump.  Hence the name “spring tail”.  Because of their jumping ability and small size, they are commonly called snow fleas.  Springtails are tiny (up to 3 mm long) and incredibly abundant.  But, we don’t notice them because they are hanging out on our soil, hidden by plants.  On occasion they will move up to spring around on the snow, making them noticeable (dirt that jumps is notably suspicious).  So, how are they not “springtail-sicles”?  These little ectotherms are lucky.  They have a protein in their cells that keep them from freezing up.  Cool huh? (yes, of course that pun was intended!)  There is no need to fear a springtail invasion.  They are harmless decomposers.  They would rather feed on fungi and other decomposing matter than on you.