woodlice
Soil-dwelling land crustaceans
Woodlice are small crustaceans that live on land, typically found in damp places under logs, stones, or leaf litter.
Despite their name, they're not lice but relatives of crabs and lobsters.
Gray and segmented, they curl into balls when threatened—a defensive posture that gives them the alternate name "pill bugs" or "roly-polies." The garden was full of woodlice when I lifted the flowerpot.
Land crustacean, rolls defensively
- sowbugTerrestrial isopod
- roly-polyPlump and round
- slaterRoof tile craftsman
- segmentedDivided into sections
antennae · exoskeleton · chitin · molting · gills · curling · invertebrate
Slightly wet
- darkAbsence of light
- moistSlightly wet
- shelterProtected place or structure
- crevicesNarrow splits in surfaces
stones · logs · bark · garden · soil · greenhouse · cellar · flowerpots
Decayed organic fertilizer
- humusDecayed organic soil matter
- decompositionBreakdown into simpler parts
- rottingOrganic matter decomposing
- fungiSpore-reproducing decomposers
detritivore · recycling · bark · cellulose · biodegradation · debris · mulch
Pest takeover situation
- houseplantsCultivated indoor vegetation
- seedlingsNewly germinated plants
- greenhouseClimate-controlled plant enclosure
- damageHarm or impairment
roots · control · vegetables · strawberries · cucumber · prevention · traps · barriers
pillbug
Land crustacean, rolls defensively
segmented · antennae · exoskeleton · chitin · molting · gills · curling · invertebrate
damp
Slightly wet
crevices · stones · logs · bark · garden · soil · greenhouse · cellar · flowerpots · rockery
compost
Decayed organic fertilizer
- humusDecayed organic soil matter
- decompositionBreakdown into simpler parts
- rottingOrganic matter decomposing
fungi · detritivore · recycling · bark · cellulose · biodegradation · debris · mulch
infestation
Pest takeover situation
- houseplantsCultivated indoor vegetation
- seedlingsNewly germinated plants
- greenhouseClimate-controlled plant enclosure
damage · roots · control · vegetables · strawberries · cucumber · prevention · traps · barriers · cellar
- arthropodsarthropod, arthropods, Arthropoda, insects, insect
- invertebratesinvertebrate, arthropod, arthropods, mollusk, crustacean
- crustaceanscrabs, crab, prawn, lobster, lobsters
- crawlersants, beetles, caterpillars, centipedes, cockroaches
- decomposersfungi, decomposers, decomposer, mushrooms, earthworms
- detritivoresearthworms, millipedes, pill bugs, sowbugs, dung beetles
woodliceinsects
Six-legged arthropods
beetles · ants · centipedes · millipedes · spiders