Our gardens would not flourish without substantial help from the community of organisms living within the soil that recycle dead plant debris into nutrients important for plant growth.  A handful of decaying leaf litter or soil is teeming with tiny animals and microbes that shred, grind, and digest the organic matter that feeds our plants. Among these creatures and scarcely visible to the human eye, is the enigmatic Springtail.

Tina Bouttle, who in her day job works for Gloucestershire Centre for Environmental Records (https://www.gcer.co.uk/), will bring along some microscopes so that we can look at these and other creatures of decaying matter such as the Woodlouse (‘chucky pigs’) more closely.  So, can you catch that tiny Springtail, which with a forked tail-like device that acts like a coiled spring, may propel itself a couple of feet into the air?

This is a drop-in event, so no need to book.