Download Four Winds Nature Institute

Four Winds Nature Institute
4 Casey Rd. Chittenden,Vt 05737
802-483-2917 www.fourwindsinstitute.org
Animal Information for Soil, Litter and Log Critter Guide
NO LEGS: WORMS, MOLLUSKS, LARVAE
Earthworms eat decaying leaves and other plant
material, turning these back into rich soil. Their
droppings or “castings” look like tiny balls of mud
and can be found in piles near their tunnel entrances.
Whiteworms, also called “potworms,” look like tiny,
pale versions of their larger earthworm cousins. They
are usually white or light-colored and found in the
top few inches of soil. They feed on decaying plants
and fungi and. tolerate acidic leaf litter in evergreen
woods.
Snails and Slugs glide along on a muscular foot that
secretes thick mucus, helping them move over rough
surfaces and protecting them from predators and from
drying out. A slug is a kind of snail that has no shell.
Many kinds of insect larvae are commonly found in
the soil, leaf litter and rotting logs, including various
kinds of flies, beetles, moths and others. They eat and
grow until they are ready to turn into pupae, often
with tough brown cases, later to emerge as adult
insects.
4 LEGS: AMPHIBIANS
Red-backed Salamanders live under rocks and
rotting logs, feeding on smaller animals like insects,
spiders, slugs or worms. The female lays a group of
eggs inside a rotting log and guards them until they
hatch. They have no lungs, but breathe only through
their skins.
The Red Eft is the immature form of the Red-spotted
Newt, a kind of salamander that lives in freshwater.
The eft spends from 2 to 4 years living on the forest
floor before moving to a pond as an adult. Efts eat
springtails and other small prey. Their orange color
warns predators that they are poisonous.
6 LEGS: ADULT INSECTS AND KIN
The jury is still out on whether Proturans, Diplurans
and Springtails are primitive insects or close cousins
of insects as they share some key characteristics (6
legs, 3 body parts, but lack others (wings, 11
abdominal segments).
Proturans are tiny, nearly transparent animals that
feed on decaying plants and fungi. With no eyes or
antennae, they use their front legs as feelers.
Diplurans are tiny, pale litter critters with two tails
and beaded antennae. Most feed on decaying
vegetation, but one kind, called japygids, are
predaceous.
Springtails are tiny and very numerous in the soil
and leaf litter. They have a special spring-loaded
fork-like tail on the ends of their abdomens that
catapults them into the air, making them great
jumpers. Springtails feed primarily on fungi. On
warm days in winter, you can often see springtails
(also called snow fleas) on the snow, like grains of
pepper.
6 LEGS: ADULT INSECTS
Earwigs live in damp crevices. The long forceps-like
pincers on their abdomens are curved in males and
straight in females. These are used to open their
folded hind wings, for defense, and to capture prey.
The female digs a chamber in the soil and lays a mass
of eggs which she guards until the young emerge.
Ants live in highly organized colonies in the soil or
in rotting wood. Worker ants tend the young and
forage for food. Some gather seeds, others eat
honeydew from aphids, and others feed on dead
plants and animals. Carpenter ants excavate nests in
rotting stumps and are a favorite food of Pileated
Woodpeckers.
Camel Crickets have a hump-backed appearance.
They are nocturnal, feeding on decaying vegetation
in the leaf litter. They are wingless, so they cannot fly
or chirp, but they can jump far to avoid predators.
Carrion Beetles feed on carcasses of dead animals.
They excavate the soil beneath the carcass so that it
falls into the hole, and then lay their eggs on it so the
larva will have a ready food supply when they hatch.
Ground Beetles, found under rocks, leaves, and logs
have large eyes; long, thread-like antennae; and long
legs. Most are nocturnal hunters, preying upon
caterpillars, slugs, snails, and larvae of other insects.
They are often green or iridescent purple-black.
Rove Beetles are small dark beetles with very short
wings that hold the tips of their abdomens curved up.
They are very active, running and flying about as
they hunt for insects, mites and larvae to eat. The
Rove Beetle Family has more species than any other.
NO LEGS, NO ANTENNAE
Wood-boring Beetle Larvae are cream-colored
larvae with enlarged heads and strong jaws that bore
into wood. They feed on substances in the wood and
speed the process of decay.
Cranefly Larvae are often found in streams where
most feed on decaying vegetation. Some kinds live in
fields and lawns and consume the roots of grasses.
6 LEGS, NO ANTENNAE: SOME INSECT
(BEETLE) LARVAE
Click Beetle Larva also called “wireworms” are
hard, tube-like larvae that feed on roots and dead
organic matter.
Japanese Beetle Larva are white, c-shaped grubs
with hard brown heads and thickened abdomens, that
feed on roots and organic matter.
Firefly Larva have armored plates on their backs
and a telescoping head. They feed on snails, slugs
and worms and many kinds emit light like the adults.
They are often pink and black. If you find one, try to
view it in darkness to see it glowing.
8 LEGS OR MORE: SPIDERS AND KIN
Red Velvet Mites are tiny, eight-legged creatures
appearance. A square meter of forest soil might
contain a million mites.
Spiders are predators of insects and other spiders.
They have fangs and poison glands, and produce
silk from spinnerets on their abdomens. Some
build webs, some lie in ambush, and others hunt
for their prey on the forest floor.
Daddy-Longlegs have eight long, extremely thin
legs, and oval bodies. They feed on plants,
decaying matter, and insects, often using their
second legs as feelers. They have no venom or
silk glands.
Pseudoscorpions are tiny but fierce-looking with
their long crab-like claws, used for catching prey like
springtails and mites. They have no stingers, but
inject poison with their claws.
MORE THAN 8 LEGS
Isopods, also called woodlice, pillbugs and sowbugs,
are small oval crustaceans with seven pairs of
legs and antennae. They live under rotting logs
or in leaf litter, feeding on dead plants and
animals.
Millipedes have cylindrical bodies and at least
two legs on each segment. They seem to glide
over surfaces as they move. They eat decaying
plants, chewing holes in dead leaves. They
typically curl up when frightened.
Centipedes have long, flattened bodies, with one
pair of legs on each segment. They use venom to
subdue their insect prey and large ones can
inflict a painful bite. They will run away very
quickly when disturbed.
with oval bodies, often found on logs where they
hunt for smaller mites, insects, and eggs to eat. A
covering of fine hairs gives them a velvety
©Copyright Four Winds Nature Institute-7/12