Spofs In fronf of your eyes? 
     
    
   
   
    
     The masses of snow fleas which appear in the first days of spring 
     
     emerge from leaf litter, decaying logs, woodland humus and low vegeta- 
     
     tion. Often mistaken for soot or ash that has somehow been trapped in a 
     
     despression in the snow, snow fleas (Hypogastura nivicola) are a type of 
     
     springtail, a primitive, wingless insect. A springlike appendage on its 
     
     underside allows it to leap away from danger, hence the name._ 
     
    

    
     Due to the prevelance of leaf litter, springtails, which pass the 
     
     winter as adults, are the most numerous and widely—distributed insects 
     
     on earth. They thrive on decaying plant and animal matter, and can also 
     
     be found on quiet surface waters, ant nests, between the tide marks and 
     
     the seashore and caves. Moisture is an important factor for their sur- 
     
     vival. . 
     
    

    
     While most species are vegetarians, a few littoral species survive 
     
     on dead marine animals. The fleas inhabiting woodlands in spring often 
     
     feast on the pollen from conifer trees and on maple syrup while it is be— 
     
     ing collected. . 
     
    

    
     Snow fleas often gather in groups of one—half to one million and 
     
     migrate up to 25 meters over a few days. According.to Elliot Maynard's 
     
     book Collemola of New York State, depressions in the snow fill with snow 
     
     fleas as the jumping insects become imprisoned in their travels over the 
     
     snow. As the crowd thickens the depression becomes black. Release is gain— 
     
     ed when the fleas ride the small rivulets flowing across the countryside 
     
     and gather in pools and ponds. 
     
    

    
     Some people believe that snow fleas emerge on warm sunny days to 
     
     take advantage of the heat, while others say they are avoiding excess soil 
     
     water from the melting snow. 
     
    
   
   
    
     HabrI’cd’ Pro+ec+|on basf POIICY 
     
    
   
   
    
     BY TONY DUKE 
     
    
   
   
    
     Spiderplants are popular houseplants with long spidery stems and long 
     
     spidery leaves. However, it's an endangered species in my house and there 
     
     was a time when I would have felt little remorse ifthe species became ex- 
     
     tinct. But recently my friends have been keeping them in greater numbers 
     
     because they were found to reduce formaldehyde gas within the home. 
     
    

    
     So Spiderplants finally have a "use" and people are more interested 
     
     in keeping them alive. Unfortunately the plant's namesake, the real spiders, 
     
     aren't widely recognized as having a "use" and no doubt there are many peo- 
     
     ple around who could care less if spiders disappeared forever. But as a 
     
     biologist I know spiders play an important role in the web of nature. De— 
     
     spite their appearance or their usefulness to mankind it is extremely im— 
     
     portant to maintain all the parts of the web. Because, like the framework 
     
     of a house, you can take away one stud from a wall with little noticeable 
     
     effect, but take away a few more studs ,6] 
     
     and part of the house collapses. Even- ./,/’{ 
     
     tually, you're without a home. "” 
     
    

    
     within Nova Scotia there are 
     
     countless animals in natures web but .F . 
     
     historically only the ones "useful" to€E§-._.’T3z 
     
     hunters have been protected by laws. 
     
     Today, hunting is regulated to the . \ 
     
     point that no animal is endangered due *4 
     
     to hunting or trapping. In fact, these "useful" animals are now some of the 
     
     most common we have. Most of our wildlife Species are doing extremely well. 
     
     Mild winters and extensive forest cutting have contributed to the highest 
     
    
   
   
    
     _ 11 _.