Habitats.

Part ten the world of minibeasts.

The thousands of species of tiny creatures that live in the leaf litter and soil of the woodland floor can be conveniently grouped under the term minibeasts. They include small insects and spiders, as well as larger creatures such as woodlice, centipedes and earwigs. In addition, there are thousands of species too small to be seen with the naked eye. All the inhabitants of this dark, bustling world spend much of their lives hunting for food, in many cases preying on each other. One way to see minibeasts at close quarters is to take a couple of handfuls of leaf litter ,put it in a large paper funnel and shine light on it from above. Trying to escape the light , and warmth the tiny creatures burrow downwards and fall on to a tray placed underneath. With the exception of fleas and biting lice-which are only likely to be found on mammals and birds-minibeasts are quite harmless to humans. Some of the minibeasts  you might see are bark louse, silverfish, bristletails, springtails, thunderbugs and false scorpions.