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The Garden Dweller

Photography Creatures posted on Sep 10, 2009
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Description


To the left, there is open land—moist and bog-like. Right and ahead, rocks like a fossilized spine stand guard against the sunlight, casting shade in which dewdrops find protection from the sun. Worms had—in the night—passed through these lands, foraging in worm-ish manner… undoubtedly in silence. Their castings—like the rocks around them—are smooth and contoured like irregular pearls. Unlike the rocks, the castings will dissolve, will crumble, will yield themselves to nothing. The rocks remain more stubbornly, though they are not immune to the ravages of time and the weather’s fickle temperament. Fungi grow where dew shelters. Moss sprouts as well. It is the sheltered moisture and smells of loam that draw the rare daytime forager: a sedate and armored creature that glides over the moisture and soil as if levitating. In truth, his course is guided by fourteen legs, each tapering into a delicate, spiked foot. His armor, not yet marked with the spotted flourishes of an adult, marks him as a recent spring-birth. Perhaps, he will live through the winter—sleeping buried as his kind do—as snows and ices blanket the land with the promise of next spring’s moisture. He drinks—now—but not in the most familiar manner. Water is not drawn through the mouth, unless it is locked in the succulent vegetation he prefers. Instead, sensitive appendages, flanking his anal opening, press themselves to the ground and take what water the body needs. His kind drink as much as they eat, and so both ends of their bodies ceaselessly steal what sustenance they encounter. By day, they prowl the undergrowth, foraging. By night, they venture into wider, more open domains. But now, disturbed by some sound behind, or by some vibration underfoot, he moves toward shelter, nosing his way between rocks and around the bulbous castings of worms. The brilliance of daylight means that there are few of his kind afoot. But this does not matter. He is safe from the appetites of marauding birds, and the movement that speaks of potential danger is distant—or perhaps imagined. The disturbance, whatever it may be, passes. And so, the garden dweller continues—though cautiously—in his daily routine. * * * * * I’ve always been fascinated by woodlice, and as a child, I once decided that I wouldn’t live anywhere that didn’t have them. They don’t live in deserts—at least none that I know of—and so I won’t be living in a desert either. One person in particular could convince me that life in a desert environment would be worth pursuing, and I would forego woodlice simply to enjoy his company, but that’s a long and complicated story best saved for another day. Suffice it to say that I possess endless reserves of affection for woodlice. Anything that can drink water through its rear end is just alien enough to keep me intrigued. And—truth be told—they make good pets. They can be trained, to a limited degree, and it’s always fun watching them ball themselves into tight little spheres whenever something bigger than a slug threatens them. They’re something of a mixed blessing for gardeners. Like me, they think of gardens are large salads, but they’re reasonable commodities in terms of the back-yard compost heap. There are even recipes for woodlouse muffins—but since they can be trained, and do enjoy status as companion animals, at least for me, I’ll never eat them. I do suspect that since they’re crustaceans, they probably taste like crabs or shrimp…their legs are definitely crab-like, and they are cute. They inspire pretty decent aliens, and good poetry (Ode to a Woodlouse, is a brilliant example of the ancient Agaran epic sonnet.) I'd write more, but my mind is drawing a blank and so I'll just say thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting! Hopefully I'll be able to catch up soon!

Comments (18)


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NefariousDrO

7:39PM | Thu, 10 September 2009

I wish I had your writing ability! That you can take something most would consider mundane and make a wonderful photo is impressive enough, but you go on to write an eloquent, poetic, and moving even note about this strange and fascinating crustacean. Your photo is wonderful, nice details that really show through, colors are interesting, and it's well-framed for composition. Lovely work in every regard!

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elfin14doaks

7:40PM | Thu, 10 September 2009

Most interesting information to accompany this great macro. Nice shot!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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geirla

7:43PM | Thu, 10 September 2009

Huh, when I was a kid we called 'em potato bugs. Used to find them under all the time under the slate flagstones next to our old house. If I'd have known they were lice and could drink out of their asses, those would have been really fun facts for a seven year old.

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auntietk

8:58PM | Thu, 10 September 2009

Yup ... "potato bug" here, too. I had no idea your fascination with woodlice was about potato bugs! Learn something new every day. I'm quite certain that if you and I were together and you were stalking a woodlouse with your camera, I would be stalking YOU with my camera! LOL! I think a woodlouse-stalking writer is infinitely more fascinating than a woodlouse, but that's just me.

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LovelyPoetess

9:12PM | Thu, 10 September 2009

I have to admit to lining several up in the center of a 24x24 tile to watch which will get to the edge first (yea I know, simple minds....) But they seem to love my workplace, we get many little visitors of their sort, and on a slow day, they're just too tempting. Loved the info as well as the photo you've shared here. : )

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KatesFriend

9:27PM | Thu, 10 September 2009

I didn't know that about woodlice - eating at one end, drinking at the other. What a fascinating adaptation. Indeed, very alien. One wonders what sorts of bizzare characteristics will be possessed by genuine alien life forms should we ever discover them. I remember that there used to be lots of them where I grew up. In the early to late spring we'd move some backyard waste like the leaves used to protect our garden from the previous winter's frost and there'd be these very same armoured wanders.

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MrsRatbag

9:29PM | Thu, 10 September 2009

This looks prehistoric, and very large! I spent a lot of time playing with these as a kid myself...

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Redfern

9:47PM | Thu, 10 September 2009

'Round these parts (southern Georgia), we tend to call them "rolly pollies". They always reminded me of the long extinct trilobite. Amusing lil' buggers. Sincerely, Bill

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bimm3d

11:17PM | Thu, 10 September 2009

interesting information , great macro!!!

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tamburro

11:28PM | Thu, 10 September 2009

Fantastic Text, excellent picture and use the Macro! Hugs. Orlando

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Alz2008

2:24AM | Fri, 11 September 2009

Wonderful capture and detail, excellent well done..

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durleybeachbum

3:06AM | Fri, 11 September 2009

Marvellous,wonderful,excellent, and all the rest of those words, Chip! Like you, I'm extremely fond of them, and we have 37 species in Britain and Ireland, of which only 9 are common. When I used them as the silver ball decoration on my mud pies as a child, I used to be a bit upset that they would make off toward the side of the cake leaving trails in my 'icing', but apart from that I consider them my friends.

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micturn

3:35AM | Fri, 11 September 2009

Fantastic shot, really well done, 5+

ELR

4:26AM | Fri, 11 September 2009

Exellent Macro!

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kwami

4:38AM | Fri, 11 September 2009

an amazing shot of an scary animal, i hate insects, but this one looks good

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ladyraven23452

9:22AM | Fri, 11 September 2009

great shot

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romanceworks

10:36AM | Sat, 12 September 2009

Wow, never has a bug been so immortalized, in words and image. CC

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CoreyBlack

8:28AM | Tue, 15 September 2009

Very nice capture! It looks somewhat omnious and very alien; something you might see as the "villian" on one of those horror movies on the Sci-Fi Channel. At first blush, anyway. After reflection, however, it becomes more truly quirky. And anything that can drink through it's butt is nicely quirky indeed. Having known you for over ten years I'm well aware of your fascination with insects and vividly recall the woodlouse we had as a pet some years back that we named Foo Quan. Or was that the Asian cockroach? A personal note: where are you? Send me an e-mail if you can't phone.


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Photograph Details
F Numberf/2.7
MakeCanon
ModelCanon PowerShot A1000 IS
Shutter Speed1/5
ISO Speed80
Focal Length6

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