sowbug
Armored garden crustacean
A sowbug is a small gray crustacean that lives on land, typically found under rocks, logs, or damp debris.
Despite the name, it's related to lobsters and crabs rather than insects.
Sowbugs have segmented, oval bodies and multiple legs.
Unlike the similar pillbug, sowbugs cannot roll into a ball when disturbed: I lifted the flowerpot and sowbugs scattered in every direction.
Land crustacean, rolls defensively
- woodlouseTerrestrial isopod, gray-armored
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
- terrestrialRelating to land
- amphipodSmall sideways-flattened crustacean
antennae · segmented · legs · molting · gills · mandible · pleon · roly-poly
Decomposing ground debris
- rotting woodDeteriorating plant matter
- dampSlightly wet
- moistureSmall amounts of liquid
- gardenCultivated plant area
compost · mulch · bark · stones · basement · cellar · crawlspace · logs
External skeletal structure
- carapaceProtective dorsal exoskeleton
- chitinArthropod shell polymer
- antennaeSensory appendages on insects
- segmentsSeparate parts of something
plates · gills · appendages · compound eyes · setae · cuticle
Eats dead organic material
- decomposerOrganism breaking down corpses
- organic matterMaterial from living sources
- decompositionBreakdown into simpler parts
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
forest floor · recycling · humus · biodegradation · earthworm · millipede · springtail · fungi
pillbug
Land crustacean, rolls defensively
- woodlouseTerrestrial isopod, gray-armored
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
- terrestrialRelating to land
amphipod · antennae · segmented · legs · molting · gills · mandible · pleon · roly-poly
leaf litter
Decomposing ground debris
- rotting woodDeteriorating plant matter
- dampSlightly wet
- moistureSmall amounts of liquid
garden · compost · mulch · bark · stones · basement · cellar · crawlspace · logs · debris
exoskeleton
External skeletal structure
- carapaceProtective dorsal exoskeleton
- chitinArthropod shell polymer
- antennaeSensory appendages on insects
segments · plates · gills · appendages · compound eyes · setae · cuticle
detritivore
Eats dead organic material
- decomposerOrganism breaking down corpses
- organic matterMaterial from living sources
- decompositionBreakdown into simpler parts
ecosystem · forest floor · recycling · humus · biodegradation · earthworm · millipede · springtail · fungi
- creepy crawlyant, spider, beetle, centipede, millipede
- garden bugsant, aphid, bee, beetle, butterfly
- Soil Lifeearthworm, earthworms, nightcrawler, nematodes, soil bacteria
- fly fishingfly rod, rainbow trout, brown trout, fly line, fly fishing
- isopodspillbug, woodlouse, roly poly, roly-poly, slater
- bugsbeetle, cricket, firefly, cockroach, ladybug