Frank Ashwood

@frankashwood

Soil ecologist & macrophotographer | He/Him Author of 'The World Beneath Our Feet', publishing in Aug/Sep '26! www.frankashwood.com

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Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· 20d

The video of my recent NerdNite talk about soil life is now up on YouTube! www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTIG... Warning: this was an evening talk in a pub, with adult humour. If you're OK with slugs chewing off their own penises, and mites constructing 'love gardens' using their semen, then do enjoy! 🧪

A photo of me standing on a stage, giving a talk about soil animals. On the screen behind me is a photograph of an iridescent purple woodlouse.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· 21d

A 'moss' springtail (Neanura muscorum) navigating a fungal forest. But it's not alone — those transparent blobs are in fact curled-up, hitchhiking nematode worms! Read about all the incredible ways soil animals tackle life's challenges, in my book #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet, publishing in one month! 🧪

A photograph of a soft-bodied, blue springtail crawling on the surface of a log that is strewn with small mushrooms. On the body of the springtail are a number of small white blobs, which are curled-up nematode worms hitchhiking a lift.

A photograph close-up of a soft-bodied, blue springtail, showing more clearly the curled-up nematode worms hitchhiking a lift

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· 25d

A cheeky bit of midweek mite-on-mite action! Mites are masters at hitchhiking, or 'phoresy'. This oribatid mite is being taken for a ride by a juvenile dust mite, which is using it to get to greener pastures. When you're so tiny, it pays to outsource your means of travel! #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet 🧪

A photograph of a round, hard-bodied mite with wing-like flaps on its sides, crawling on the surface of a decaying log. Stuck onto the mite's body is another, smaller, plate-shaped mite.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Jul 14

A not-so-big, 'giant' springtail. This is a member of the new population I recently discovered up in the Port Hills in Christchurch, NZ. They seem smaller than others of their species, possibly due to island dwarfism from living in small, fragmented areas of native bush. #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet 🧪

A photograph of a giant springtail, a blue-bodied, soft invertebrate with six legs and a back covered in many yellow soft spines.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Jul 13

If you'd like a little more info about my upcoming book #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet, I recently did an interview with Booktime Magazine. The article is indie bookshop-focused, but should still be of interest to a general reader! 🧪🪱 Online PDF accessible here (pages 4&5): indd.adobe.com/view/4d4f24a...

A screenshot of a double-page interview article for my book 'The World Beneath our Feet'. The article is entitled 'Layers of Life', and features a mugshot of myself, a photograph of a giant springtail and the book cover art.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Jul 6

The European mole (Talpa europaea) has a toxin in its saliva which paralyses earthworms, their favourite food. The moles can then store the paralysed earthworms in special 'larder' chambers within their burrows, where they are kept alive and fresh until later consumption! #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet 🧪🪱

A photograph of a European mole, a stocky, brown-furred mammal with large front paws evolved for digging.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Jul 4

Thanks to Nerd Nite Christchurch for inviting me to talk about the weird and wonderful ways soil animals have adapted to the challenges of life belowground (and, for tardigrades, on the moon!). I strongly recommend going to your local Nerd Nite, the vibes are excellent! Science + Beer = Fun! 🧪

A photograph of me, a bald white male, standing on a stage in a pub, speaking to an audience. On a projector screen behind me are images of oribatid mites with heavy armour plating and elaborate defensive spines.

A photograph of me, a bald white male, standing on a stage in a pub, speaking to an audience. On a projector screen behind me are images of tardigrades, some are on the moon, another has been quantum entangled between two qubits, and another has been tattooed using nanotechnology.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Jul 1

Turn over a rotting log anywhere in the world, and you might find these beautiful structures, known as the common coral slime (Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa). The species was first described in 1729 by Pier Antonio Micheli, the 'founding father' of mycology — the branch of biology concerning fungi. 🧪🍄

A photograph of several branching white slime molds, radiating upwards from the surface of a decaying log. The slime molds are semi-transparent, and closely resemble marine corals.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Jun 28

Only two months until the UK/Commonwealth & EU release of The World Beneath our Feet, with the US release just a month after that... It's all feeling very real all of a sudden! Pre-orders are SUPER IMPORTANT, so please reserve a copy from your preferred book seller now! #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet 🧪

A macrophotograph of a giant springtail, a soft, blue-bodied invertebrate covered in long yellow spines.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Jun 21

Adventures of a tiny white jelly baby. When you're a springtail this smol, microfungi are perfect drinking vessels. I've not been out with my camera much lately; with parenthood, work and book edits taking up my time. But I hope to get back on with macrophotography very soon! #Macrophotography 🧪

A photograph of a colourless, soft-bodied springtail crawling on the surface of a log. Tiny cup-shaped white mushrooms cover the log, and the springtail appears to be drinking from one of them

A photograph of a colourless, soft-bodied springtail crawling on the surface of a log. Tall brown slime mold fruiting bodied just out from the log surface like miniature trees.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Jun 17

Press proofs of 'The World Beneath our Feet' are out in the world, and wonderful quotes are coming in. I feel very grateful and humbled by the positive reception so far! Available for pre-order now, with hardcover out in Aug/Sep this year! @hodderbooks.bsky.social @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social 🧪

A photograph of two copies of my book 'the world beneath our feet' displayed against a wooden deck with a foliage background. The front and back covers are in view. The front cover features an illustration of winding roots interspersed with many small animals such as earthworms, moles and springtails, and the title and author are in reflective gold leaf print.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Jun 1

This Prickly Stick Insect (Acanthoxyla prasina) is a highlight from a Lincoln Uni ecology field trip to the West Coast this semester. Whilst they are native to New Zealand, this species has been introduced to the UK. If you love stick insect content, you MUST follow @morganemerien.bsky.social! 🧪

A photograph of a green stick insect hanging from thing plant stems in a woodland. The stick insect is covered in dark spines all over its body, giving it a rough appearance.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· May 30

I've been very quiet here lately, busy juggling teaching and the final touches on my book. It's almost there now! Early endorsements and reviews are coming in (including from some of my environmental science heroes!). Today's glowing review by the illustrious Publishers Weekly was just lovely! 🧪

A screenshot of a book review for The World Beneath Our Feet, on Publishers Weekly website.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Apr 15

This week is #GSB4 #GSB2026, the highlight of the soil biodiversity calendar! Sadly I couldn't make it this time (the joys of being a new father), so I guess I'll just contribute some photos instead... starting with this beautiful red-legged mite traversing a moss-covered log. #SoilBiodiversity 🧪

A photo of a reg-legged mite walking on a moss-covered log

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Apr 10

I appreciate all the love for my previous post, so, here's a little more velvet worm / Peripatus cuteness to start your weekend off right! Beneath that adorable little eye, you can see the stumpy glue cannon, which it uses to subdue prey! #Macrophotography #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet 🧪

A photography of a velvet worm crawling towards the camera, on a moss-covered trunk. The animal is worm-like, with many soft pairs of legs and a pair of long, segmented antennae. All over the animal's body, there are hundreds of multi-coloured lumps, which resemble dress sequins.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Apr 7

I recently discovered this incredible creature while on a night walk in the NZ bush. Known as a 'Velvet Worms', this adorable predator immobilises prey with organic glue fired from turrets on its head! Oh... and they are basically unchanged in about 400 million years! #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet 🧪

A photography of a velvet worm crawling on a moss-covered trunk. The animal is worm-like, with many soft pairs of legs and a pair of long, segmented antennae. All over the animal's body, there are hundreds of multi-coloured lumps, which resemble dress sequins.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Apr 2

Want to start doing soil animal macrophotography? Or fancy a rare glimpse into mine and @mesofauna.bsky.social's minds? An article has just dropped in @soilorganismsj.bsky.social, showcasing mine and Andy's love for documenting soil biodiversity! 🧪🪱 Open Access: soil-organisms.org/SO/article/v...

A screenshot of the title and abstract page of an article in Soil Organisms journal, entitled 'Advocating for the lobe and protection of soil animals through photography: the work of Frank Ashwood and Andy Murray'.

A photograph of a round, hard-bodied mite walking among a cluster of lollipop-shaped slime mold fruiting bodies.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Mar 18

The final proofs of THE WORLD BENEATH OUR FEET are in, so it's almost time for this labour of love to go to the printers! My popular science-style book about the incredible life in soil is now available for pre-order EVERYWHERE. Now I just have to decide the shortlist of my photos for it... 🧪🪱

A screenshot of the inside cover of my book, entitled THE WORLD BENEATH OUR FEET: The Hidden Life of Soil and Why It Matters to Us All'.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Mar 2

Some exciting life news... I am now a lecturer in Entomology and Ecology at Lincoln University in NZ! We took the Entomology students on a fieldtrip over the weekend, and saw some of my favourite invertebrates: Velvet worms and giant springtails! Always a treat to see these! #SoilBiodiversity 🧪

A photograph of a velvet worm: a segmented, soft-bodied animal, with beautiful patterning which looks like it has been rolled in orange and blue sequins.

A photograph of a giant springtail: an invertebrate with a soft blue body covered in long yellow soft spines.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Feb 25

If you go down to the woods today, you might see a GIANT EARTHWORM! 🪱 In New Zealand it’s fieldwork time for the second round of @soilbon.bsky.social, and some incredible native earthworms turned up yesterday during soil sampling! #SoilBiodiversity #WormWednesday @barnesecodiv.bsky.social 🧪

A photograph of a very long and thick pink earthworm being held aloft by a gloved hand, against a lush forest background.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Feb 15

"We have such mites to show you" Today is the last day to vote in the 2026 Bug of the Year contest! Vote now for the Hellraiser Mite: bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-20... P.S. There is also a giant earthworm worthy of your love (you get 3 votes) 🪱 #BugOfTheYear #BugOfTheYear2026 🧪

A photograph of a hard-bodied mite, covered in long, spiky bristles.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Jan 29

Today is my final day of book writing, then it's off for copyediting and out of my hands! It's been a true labour of love, and I'm feeling bittersweet. How better to cross the finish line than with coffee in this mite-y good mug by @fminifera.bsky.social #SoilBiodiversity #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet 🧪

A photo of a computer monitor with the title page of a book, entitled 'the world beneath our feet' by Frank Ashwood. In front of the monitor is my hand, holding a mug with images of many hard-bodied oribatid mites on it.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Jan 13

Here's a photo I took of a veteran adult Holacanthella duospinosa on a one (NZ) dollar coin for scale. I've never seen one that is 17 mm size personally, I think that's the record rather than the norm.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Jan 11

Has world news got you thinking an eternity with Pinhead and the Cenobites actually sounds quite pleasant? Then why not go support the Hellraiser mite in this year's NZ Bug of The Year competition! You get 3 votes, and there's also a GIANT earthworm... 🧪🪱 bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-20...

A photograph of a round-bodied mite, with many long spines projecting from all over its body.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Dec 30

Only one month left to finish my edits, and then the book is off for copy editing and out of my hands… if I fall off the radar over the next few weeks, this is why! 🧪 The US publication date has been announced as 1st Sep '26, available for preorder here: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/779567...

A photograph of a book manuscript on a table with a pencil resting on it, and shelves of books in the background. The manuscript is entitled ‘The World Beneath Our Feet’ and is written by Frank Ashwood.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Dec 24

Wishing everyone a very happy holiday. May the festive velvet worm crawl into all of your houses tonight and boop your sleeping snoots with its many adorable feet, as is tradition. A sincere thanks for all the support throughout this year. I'm looking forward to my new book hit the shelves in 2026!

A photograph of a blue velvet worm, wearing a red and white santa-style hat.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Dec 13

Mite harvesters (Cyphophthalmi) are super interesting from a biogeography perspective - the six families have distributions which reflect plate tectonics of ancient landmasses. The family here in New Zealand can be traced to Gondwana breaking from Laurasia some 200ish MYA! #TheWorldBeneatOurFeet 🧪

A photograph of a small arachnid with a hardened, segmented body and a pointed head, walking on the surface of a decaying log.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Dec 8

There are few soil animals as adorable as the 'podgy' springtails! This Platunurida sp. is a cousin of the famous 'giant' springtails in New Zealand. Instead of colourful spines, it has a flattened body, enabling it to squeeze into cracks in decaying logs where it lives. #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet 🧪📸

A photograph of a flat, soft-bodied springtail, looking face-on towards the camera as it crawls on the surface of some decaying wood.

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Dec 5

Happy 5th December, World Soils Day!! Please take a moment to think about your local patch of soil - whether it's your garden, a local park or even a nearby forest. Is the soil is being looked after well there? If not, what can you do to protect it for future generations? 🧪🪱 #Soil #WorldSoilDay

Frank Ashwood@frankashwood· Nov 20

The cover art is finished for my new book and I LOVE IT! This safari tour of the life in soil and what is means to us, is now available for pre-order as ebook, soft and hardcover in the UK and Commonwealth. Published in August next year (US date soon), I hope it'll entice everyone to love soil! 🧪🪱