Velvety mites emerge from underground silk caverns to build ‘love gardens’ in Texas

They’re fuzzy, red and ready for romance.

Red velvet mites are emerging from their luxurious underground “silk-lined caverns” at Big Bend National Park, to woo and be wooed, the Texas park said in a Facebook post.

The mites, sometimes called rain bugs, crawl out from the earth after heavy summer rains for an “unusual courtship,” park officials said.

A volunteer snapped a picture of a red velvet mite “a few weeks ago” at the park in far West Texas, the post said.

Growing up to 5mm in length, the brightly-colored bugs are considered large among mites. They earn their name not only because they are the color of passion, but because tiny hairs cover its body, giving it a “soft, velvety appearance.”

Experts describe the red velvet mite’s love life as “exotic,” according to the University of Wisconsin-Milkwaukee, with some scientists proclaiming it as “not to be missed.”

To pique the interest of female mites, the males construct “love gardens,” according to UWM. This pretty much consists of males dropping their sperm around on grass and twigs, creating a perimeter of reproductive material at their mating site.

Next, they roll out an “intricately woven” silk trail that leads to their love garden, as a way of letting any passing females know romance awaits.

“If she is dazzled by his artistry, she will enter the garden and sit on/pick up the sperm,” according to UWM.

However, red velvet mites aren’t above playing dirty, experts say. If a male stumbles onto another male’s love garden, he will destroy it and redecorate with his own sperm.

“What an interesting world in which we live!” Big Bend said in its post. “You never know what you might find when you go for a walk.”

This story was originally published August 4, 2021 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Velvety mites emerge from underground silk caverns to build ‘love gardens’ in Texas."