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Through his photography, entomologist Andy Murray Andy Murray reveals the hidden & fascinating world that lies beneath our feet.

Here he tells Food and Agriculture Organization his story 🎥

#SoilBiodiversity #WorldSoilDay #COP15 #COP15 montreal @vargasfao

A superb overview of soil life and carbon capture. Really worth watching.
Wie uns das Leben im Boden helfen kann youtu.be/Noftrthvv1M via YouTube

It's still World Soil Day- celebrating the essential life-giving wonder of soil. #worldsoilday #soilanimals #mesofauna chaosofdelight.org

#SoilBiodiversity comes in multiple flavours and requires adequate #natureConservation strategies.
Look at all the aliens that live at the tip of your toes.
pics:@FrankAshwood Andy Murray VISION TORRES Nick Porch 苔モス工房 Susana C. Gonçalves, PhD 🍄👩🏻‍🔬 💪💬🐈‍⬛ ぺんどら and others

OK, seeing as it's international jumping spider day... just this once, a lovely Opisthoncus sp. from Tasmania, Australia....
#JumpingSpiderDay #spider

Is this
a) a myxomycete/slime mould fruiting body, or

b) a Belisha beacon so that springtails know where they can cross the log safely?

I guess we will never know.

#slimemould #belishabeacon

A beautiful, seed-shaped Achipteria species of oribatid mite, probably either A. coleoptera or A. nitens. #mite #oribatid #soilanimal chaosofdelight.org

So, hello everyone- it's been a long time away. Oh well...
Here's a young Cepheus dentata for a Friday evening.... #oribatid #mite #soil chaosofdelight.org

A lovely and rather ornate Monobella grassei from yesterday.
#springtail #collembola #mesofauna #soilanimal chaosofdelight.org

Hello everyone. I'm back. Happy summer solstice. This is a photo from a couple of days ago- a Bdellidae mite, from Avalon marshes near to where I live. #mite #soilanimal chaosofdelight.org

Just landed a three month copy-editing contract with FAO! I’ve been busy with full time work for the first time in a long time! Very happy. Just to put it out there that I’ll be free for editing from July onwards, soil science reports and papers a speciality.

What do soil animals eat and why do we need to care? Explained in plain text with great illustrations by Andy Murray @FrankAshwood Tim Jonas and others + cool scheme from my colleague, Svenja Mayer.

This is the beautiful, proud and defiant head of Holacanthella spinosa, a New Zealand giant springtail.
#ukraine #киев #украина #springtail

A contender for the most colours ever used by one springtail- a Katianna species from Tasmania, Australia... #springtail #collembola #soilanimal #mesofauna chaosofdelight.org

Despite mites not getting a mention, it’s good to see springtails and pseudo scorpions in the mix. What I mean to say is- this is great.

bsssjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ej…

As a huge fan of anthropomorphism, this springtail, (probably a juvenile Sminthurinus niger) looks plaintive and pensive. Will accept other emotional suggestions... #springtail #collembola #soilanimal chaosofdelight.org

This is a photo of a Lobella-type springtail. The blue behind it is real. It's standing on a fallen cassowary plum, a large blue fruit favoured by the cassowary in Queensland, Australia. Pretty cool! #springtail #collembola #soilanimal chaosofdelight.org

Happy Friday (Wind Is Over).
Here an oribatid mite, Xenillus tegeocranus to celebrate.....
#mite #oribatid #soilanimal #soillife chaosofdelight.org