Tardigrade, winner of the 2025 Guardian Invertebrate of the Year award (Photo by By Philippe Garcelon – Tardigrade, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=104872070)

Well Readers, it’s that time of the year again, when we need to think of our favourite invertebrate and nominate it for the Guardian Invertebrate of the Year. Personally, I think they should suggest a short list, rather than letting it be a free for all – there’s enough invertebrates out there that each person could vote for a different one, and then where would we be? In 2024 the earthworm won, which is not unreasonable (unless you live in parts of the world where earthworms are an invasive species of course, such as parts of North America). But what would we choose? Last year I went for the hairy-footed flower bee, such a harbinger of spring and such a busy pollinator.

But how about somebody less popular than a bee? How about a cellar spider, which specialises in capturing and eating spiders much larger than itself?

A Hummingbird Hawkmoth would be close to the top of my list too…

But honestly, I think this should be the year of the Jumping Spider. Yes, I know that they have been known to jump at your eyeballs (probably they can see themselves reflected there) but how many invertebrates actually look  you in the eye at all? Surely a visit to Accident and Emergency is worth it for the privilege of making the acquaintance of these extraordinary animals.

Fencepost Jumping Spider (Marpissa muscosa)

So, who would you vote for? Do you incline towards the attractive, the useful or the extraordinary? Or all three? Do share!