At 10:32 PM 12/7/2004 -0600, you wrote:
>You folks have been great at bird, herp, and insect song IDs,
>but I'm wondering what this December hatching is. I noticed
>it from it's lavender color and thought they were seeds at
>first, but when the specs squirmed and jumped off my fingers
>I thought was really puzzled, especially this late in the
>Illinois autumn. I shot yesterday through a loupe, and there
>were still some left today, so I grabbed a 35mm lens and shot
>some vid clips through it backwards (optically, not in time).
>
>Anyone have any idea what they are? I fear they're termites.
>
>http://feldman.gidnoy.com/photos/lavender_hatchlings.jpg
>http://feldman.gidnoy.com/movies/Purple_bugs.mov
>
>Sorry, there's no audio of interest here.
>
>-- Mike
They are much smaller than most insects - I am guessing Collembola -
springtails - harmless, "primitive" insects, (the only species I know
floats on salt tide pools on the New England coast in summer - Anurida
maritima - but obviously not yours). They hardly seem to move until they
release their "glue-bolt" or furcula under their abdomen and suddenly
catapult themselves to a distant (random?) location. These are likely what
we see when water suddenly saturates the winter soil and they emerge on top
of the snow - called, likely enough "snow fleas", according to Don Borror:
Achorutes (now Hypogastura) nivicolus. He also says most feed on decaying
organic matter, and can do damage in gardens, etc. But, as you can see
from the following website - their picture looks very little like
yours. Good luck.
http://www.borealforest.org/insects/insects1.htm
-- best regards, Marty Michener
MIST Software Assoc. Inc., P. O. Box 269, Hollis, NH 03049
http://www.enjoybirds.com/
Don't blame me, I vote in New Hampshire!
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