snow fleas, really?

Hello to anyone in Montana,

Is it true that there was a big snow storm yesterday and then fleas all over the snow? Here is a link to the story:

http://www.stevequayle.com/index.php?s=607

Is there really such a phenomenon as snow fleas? Did anyone else witness this? Or is it all just hype?

Learn something every day! Thanks for asking about them Berry! I guess they are really called springtails.

Here is a quote from the following website.

"People may not realize it, but Snow Fleas, and all springtails, are very important. They are decomposers, and help break down old dead plant matter and other items in the soil. After the springtails are done with them, plants can pull the nutrients back from the soil and use them to grow. Then, people and other animals can use the plants. Springtails are an important part of nature's cycle."

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/snow_flea.htm

Berry Chechy wrote:
Is there really such a phenomenon as snow fleas? Did anyone else witness this?

I have seen them here in Vermont. Not sure what the exact circumstances are that makes them show up but they do, now and again.

Berry, that is some interesting stuff. Lived in Montana most of my life, and in lots of different places and I've seen some wild stuff. I've seen stuff like this before but never thought much about it, figuring it was just some critter doing its thing. I think the guy from Craig might need to get his tinfoil hat adjusted.

One of the craziest was when I was living up in Alaska, as soon as the weather got above freezing with exposed moss/grass, even for a day, the mosquitoes would pop up. Since most of Interior Alaska is frozen bog, that meant a lot of the little bloodsuckers would show up! Tiny as those specimens were, it made for some interesting "spring" breathing outdoors. In the summer, I'd have 9 or 10 columns, anywhere from 4 to 12 feet tall hovering around me when I was out working the garden or cutting wood. That was "interesting" to say the least.

I worked for 8 summers on a glacier in Alaska and can confirm the existence of snow fleas from there.