While checking on the Leopard Moth eggs this morning, I noticed there was alot of rollie pollies. Is it the weather? Is it rollie pollie mating season? Haha I'm not sure but I enjoy them. I think it's neat that they're crustaceans and have gills. I remember I used to try and keep them as pets, it never worked out haha. ( photo / image / picture from KennaKaitlyn's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from KennaKaitlyn's Garden )
My chickens LOVE rollie-pollies, but not as pets (if you know what I mean). I was checking our dill for swallowtail butterfly eggs yesterday, and actually found a few. We have a very cool evening predicted for Monday, so these eggs may not develop, but the butterflies will come, they will come!
I thought this was going to be polly wogs and I was going to say:quick, send them to Eileen, as she just noted her pond refroze and was worried they wouldn't have any this year, but I guess not. Rolly pollies aren't real welcome by me at the moment. They ate all my pink tomatoes off as soon as I planted them in the greenhouse this past week :-x. they have their place, but not eating off my newly planted plants.
We call these 'slaters' here in Scotland - don't ask me why. :-? They are actually Woodlice and feed on dead, organic matter. They have an interesting way of protecting their eggs. The fertilized eggs pass into a fluid-filled chamber called the Brood Pouch underneath the females body. The young crawl out of this pouch when they are fully developed (many people think that woodlice give birth to live young when they see them emerge in this way.) They undergo a series of moults before reaching maturity, growing at each stage. As you may have guessed even the most common forms of wildlife in my garden intrigues me. :-D
Who doesn't love playing with rollie-pollies! and thanks Eileen for the tutorial... never even gave it much thought before.
Rollie-pollies? Slaters? Woodlice? They were called potato bugs where I grew up. I wonder how many other names there are for them. My vote so far is for rollie-pollies. It is most descriptive.
This is the spider who has them as its main food,it is called the woodlice spider. ( photo / image / picture from Kildale's Garden )
I wonder if we have these spiders around here. They would have plenty to eat that's for sure if they fanced a good feed of woodlice.
