I wasn’t a bad weekend for getting outside and walking in the snow. Yes, it would have been nice to turn the wind down a bit at times, but it wasn’t bad as winter weather goes.
In fact, I even spotted something I hadn’t seen in a while. Mostly because I haven’t seen too many little puddles of water in the snow. Because that’s where they seem to like to gather. I’m talking about snow fleas.
I just happened to see a small spot where some snow had melted into a small puddle. There was a lot of black around the puddle. In fact, it looked a bit like someone had spilled pepper. But the pepper was moving.
So I had to watch the moving pepperlike bits for a while. Then I had to figure out exactly what they were. Not that I haven’t seen them before. I just decided I needed to know more about them.
You see snow fleas quite often over the winter, usually in damp or wet places. Because they like damp or wet places. But although they are called snow fleas, they aren’t really fleas. They just jump a bit like fleas.
They are also known as springtails, possibly because of the whole jumping thing. They are around pretty much all the time. They like to eat dead leaves and vegetation, and don’t actually bite people or pets. And they have a chemical in their little bodies that is a bit like antifreeze, so they are active all year long, unlike a lot of other bugs.
You tend to see them more this time of year because they are small black insects. Put them on a white background, like snow, and they tend to stand out.
But they aren’t really fleas, have no interest in biting you or your pet. They may even be useful, since they help decomposing things break down.
And I thought they were just gathered around puddles in the snow because it was some sort of flea resort and they were just hanging out looking for something to chew on.
At least they are nothing to worry about. They are just a bit obsessed with moisture, which is why they hang around puddles. And also why you might see them indoors, if you have any wet spots around.
But it’s just a gathering of little black dots on the snow. Nothing to be worried about.