Compost bin lid life

[Paul Iddon]

This afternoon on my compost bin.

Two globular springtail head-dancing - or whatever it is they are really doing... courting of course! Deutosminthurinus pallipes, maybe.

Teniuphantes species of spider.

A vivid coloured larva in the same place (with an Orchesella cincta passing by to give some size comparison).

A green thing is an early instar nymph of Cicadellidae, ca. Empoasca etc.

Paul.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Fabulous community. Are they all vegetarians or some predators and how do they arrive at the bin?

Asher

 

[Paul Iddon]

Springtails are generally veggies. The last bug feasts on plant sap. The pink thing? Could be a herbivore....

Spiders hunt as we know.

I'm not sure how they got there most of these. The spider could have dropped form the plants above, the others - well your guess would be as good as mine...

Paul.

 

[Paul Iddon]

Around the compost bin, there's plenty going on...

There's a crab spider, a beetle of some kind (unknown just now) and a harvestman, then in the soil itself there is at least 3 to see (an elongate springtail and more to be ID'd) then a mirid bug, and some mixed blessings as 2 springtails go a-courting.

Paul.