Tuesday 31 December 2013

Woodlouse cocktail?

Strong winds peeled the bark and sapwood off an old oak leaving it naked amongst the rest of the moss clad trees.

A network of gouged-out channels marked the progress of the woodlice in dismantling the tree. I picked up a piece of soggy wood a few metres from the trunk and separated the fibres revealing a hungry woodlouse chomping away, oblivious to the mayhem all around.

My book tells me woodlice are not insects, but crustaceans; more closely related to crabs and shrimps than insects. Do they turn pink when boiled? A woodlouse cocktail as a starter?

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