Black Sprinkles on Yellowstone Snow Not Poppy Seeds, National Park Explains

Snow in Yellowstone has black sprinkles, according to witnesses. The National Park's representatives clarify that these are not poppy seeds. But they certainly look the part!

On Facebook, Yellowstone National Park shared a photo that looks like someone dropped all the poppy seeds from their bagel on top of a snowy patch. Others compared the minute black flecks that were dispersed throughout the snow to pepper.

Although they are neither poppy seeds nor pepper, Yellowstone has explained what these mysterious black sprinkles are.

Snow Fleas or Springtails

The article described how snow fleas, also known as springtails, are frequently seen in the area of Yellowstone on warm winter days.

These tiny creatures are said to live in the soil. They eat leaf litter as well as other organic material, according to a Facebook post from Yellowston National Park. They frequently show up on the snow's surface during the winter, sometimes in thick clumps and other times as a pepper-like dusting. They may be in search of food, but not enough research has been done on them to be certain.

Internet Famous

According to For The Win, Facebook commenters expressed gratitude for the justification, and some even shared their own experiences.

Some people questioned the purpose of the black sprinkles.

Another person discovered the same black sprinkles in their home and struggled to identify them for the longest time-roughly two years. The commenter said that the snow fleas are bothersome, tiny, and appear to be a speck of dirt until they move and jump.

Another user of the same social media platform said that she was searching for mushrooms in the woods one spring when she kept hearing what sounded like someone walking. When she finally looked down, she saw that there were countless numbers of springtails leaping on the leaves and making a loud noise.

One user admitted that they had never before seen snow fleas.

Someone else thought he was looking at his brother-in-law's grits after he was done with the pepper shaker.

Not Parasites

The Ecological Society of America provided this description of the tiny fleas, claiming that unlike fleas, snow fleas or springtails are not parasites and therefore play a crucial role in natural decomposition by feeding on decomposing organic matter in the soil including leaf litter. According to a study reported in the Biophysical Journal, an antifreeze protein, which is rich in glycine, in particular helps snow fleas survive the chilly winter months.

One cubic meter of top soil can contain hundreds of thousands of springtails on any given summer day; at 1-2 mm, they are largely invisible to humans. However, in the winter, against the snowy white background, two species of dark blue springtails, Hypogastrura harveyi and Hypogastrura nivicol, can be easily seen. These hexapods' ability to jump far distances-a skill fleas also possess-may be the reason for their moniker "snow fleas." Fleas propel themselves far distances using their enlarged hind legs, but springtails use a tail-like appendage called a furcula.

On a final note, someone jokingly commented on the Yellowstone National Park Facebook page to be sure not to put them on a bagel.