A Year in the Valley

A Year in the Valley

Discovering the flora and fauna in a small square of Portmellon Valley

  • BioBlitz
  • The Rules
  • Tally
  • Map
  • Bird Page
  • Contact Form
  • Velvet Mite (Trombidium holosericeum)

    Velvet Mite (Trombidium holosericeum)

    Little Venice is still quite muddy, there is little grass but carpets of water starwort and algae.  Amongst the green and sludgy brown, tiny dots of scarlet caught my attention.  They kept disappearing into the matting of debris and vegetation, but this is what they looked like – tiny eight-legged bugs, more tick-shaped than spiderlike, even though they are arachnids.  In fact, the two front legs are used as feelers, as they have no antennae.  They are most often seen in spring when they emerge from hibernation, and they are carnivorous and feed on even smaller creatures and their eggs.

    Daisy D

    04 May 2024
    Spiders
    Red Velvet Mite

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  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • Spotted in September
  • Spotted in August
  • Spotted in July
  • Spotted in June
  • Conclusions