STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

It looks as if someone spilled tar on the trails—tar that should’ve been reserved for the many potholes on Highway 75.

But on closer examination the “tar” is made by hundreds if not thousands of tiny insects the size of pinheads. And they’re moving in frenetic fashion.

What gives?

It’s possible these blobs of bugs are snow fleas. They’re wingless insects incapable of flying so they hop and move around like crazy people trying to make up for their lack of flying abilities.

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, they are not parasitic, even though they look and act like cat or dog fleas.

The Almanac says that, if you enjoy gardening, you’ve probably encountered thousands of snow fleas in your lifetime without ever realizing because you don’t notice a few. We’re noticing them now because they’re bunched together in large blobs.

Apparently, they’re beneficial little blobs. Soil is their food source, and they feed on decaying organic matter in the soil, helping it to decay faster and turning it into plant food.

As for those in Adams Gulch and other local trails? Maybe they’re enjoying a summer’s end snow flea festival? Or maybe a pre-hibernation brunch!