Megan's Nature Nook
Nature Notes, Phenology, Photography, Fun Facts, Trips, Maybe Even a Bad Joke or Two... and More!
With warmer temperatures and Spring on the way, it’s a good time of year to keep your eyes open for Snow Fleas! Wait, what? There’s fleas in the snow?! Have no fear, they are not actually fleas at all, but you do find them on the snow. Snow Fleas, sometimes called Springtails, look like pepper flakes or flecks of dirt sprinkled on the snow. They can be seen on warm winter days, usually around vegetation, or at the base of a tree where some of the snow has melted away. They are present year-round, but easier to see against the white snow than the brown ground of warmer seasons. They can be found where there is leaf litter, moist soil, in compost heaps, and on the surface of water and snow. They play a big role in nature’s recycling program, decomposing decaying organic matter and eating spores of mold and mildews. Snow fleas are not actually fleas, or even insects, they are hexapods. They get their name “Snow Flea” because they can jump like fleas; but unlike fleas, they can’t jump with their legs. They jump using a tail-like appendage, called a furcula, that they tuck under their abdomen. When the furcula unfolds, it flings the snow flea. They can’t control where they “jump” to, so they just land where ever. If you see snow fleas, take some time to watch and see them jumping around.
Since Snow Fleas are present and active year-round, how do they keep from freezing during our cold Minnesota winters? Snow Fleas have a glycine-rich antifreeze protein that binds to ice crystals when they begin to form preventing them from getting any bigger and preventing the Snow Flea from freezing. Research has even been done seeing if this protein could be used in the preservation of organs used for human transplants. Next time you’re out on a nice winter hike, look closely at the snow. You may be lucky enough to see some Snow Fleas! Thank you to my friend and blog reader, Art Schilling, for sending me pictures of Snow Fleas earlier this winter and requesting a blog post about them!
3 Comments
Darla Reese
3/18/2018 10:36:37 am
Very interesting, now I have to go find some fleas and watch them jump!
Reply
Megan Betcher
3/18/2018 05:20:05 pm
I bet you could even find some in your backyard. They're fun to watch!
Reply
Cheryl Birk-Perkinson
3/19/2018 07:20:16 pm
Learn something new every day!
Reply
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