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Tag Archives: slater

Moult

15 Tuesday Feb 2022

Posted by sconzani in nature

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British crustaceans, moult, moulting woodlouse, slater, woodlouse

Moult (US molt): noun and verb; (of an animal) shed old feathers, hair, or skin to make way for new growth; origin: Middle English moute, from an Old English verb based on Latin mutare ‘to change’ (Oxford Dictionary).

220215 moulting

Today’s word is inspired by this moulting Woodlouse I found in nearby woodland last week.

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7/365 Wildly waving woodlouse

07 Monday Jan 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, nature

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Tags

#365DaysWild, slater, waving woodlouse, woodlouse

Donning my wet-weather gear against the un-forecast rain, I headed out early afternoon for a bimble around my local parks. I’d taken a few photos of rain drops on mosses, which would have served well enough for today’s post, but then noticed this large, handsome and well-armoured woodlouse sheltering in a niche. And, when it waved obligingly at me, that clinched my choice.

190107 woodlouse

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Death on the windowsill

27 Saturday Oct 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

British insects, dead insects, dead insects on the windowsill, dead slater, dead wasp, dead woodlouse, slater, wasp, woodlouse

I don’t know about you but, except on the very coldest of days, I like to have my windows open, at least for a short time each day, to let some fresh air into the house. Trouble is the little critters seem to sense that it’s warmer indoors than out and, if I don’t notice their presence, they don’t manage to escape with their lives. This morning I found two casualties, a Slater and a Wasp.

181025 dead slater181025 dead wasp

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Slater, woodlouse or chiggy pig?

10 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, nature photography

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Tags

cemetery, crustaceans, insects, slater, woodlouse

As I was walking through my local cemetery today, I spotted a very thick, very wet newspaper lying on a fallen tree and I simply couldn’t resist taking a peek underneath. These are what I found, Common shiny woodlice (Oniscus asellus), one of the 45 (yes, 45!) native or naturalised species of woodlice in Britain.

160110 woodlice (1)

Did you know:

  • A woodlouse has fourteen jointed limbs, and breathes using lungs in its rear legs.
  • Although it’s a crustacean (like the oh-so-tasty lobsters and crabs), a woodlouse tastes like strong urine. I wonder who the crazy person was who discovered that interesting fact!
  • Just like earthworms, woodlice are good for the garden because they produce compost, aerate the soil and help control pests.
  • Woodlice prefer damp places because they lose a lot of moisture through excretion (plenty of evidence of that to be seen in my photos!).
  • In New Zealand it’s called a slater; in Reading, England it’s a cheeselog; in Devon it’s a chiggy pig; and in Cornwall it goes by the name of gramersow. Do you have a special name for this little critter? Let me know in the comments below.

160110 woodlice (2)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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