Woodlice
Species tbc (most likely the common rough and common shiny woodlouse)
Long-term residents under the spare limestone slabs. Some of those were broken up a while ago to edge the pond; more of the whole ones went over to the compost area on 8 Oct 2026. The woodlice have the hurdles, the log pile and the compost bay to move to, none of which they pay for either.
They eat dead wood and fallen leaves and turn them back into soil, so they are welcome to it. The picture is a stand-in until the real ones are found again.
- Common name
- Woodlice
- Section
- Wildlife & habitats
- Spot
- Garden (under anything left lying flat)
- Food
- Dead wood and leaf litter, the damper the better
- From
- Wild residents, 8 Oct 2026
- Age
- tbc
- Next repot
- Never: they move when the roof does
- Edible
- ❌ No: They are land crustaceans, closer to a prawn than a beetle. Nobody here is checking.
- Garden-centre price
- Paid in dead leaves
Did you know?
Woodlice are crustaceans, not insects, and still breathe through gill-like plates, which is why they keep to the damp. The mother carries her young in a pouch.
Care & updates
- Observation
Added to the catalogue. More of their limestone roof moved to the compost area; no photo yet, so a drawing stands in.