On quiet days, you may find them in the shade of one garden, another, or another. They are quiet, elegant creatures: shy in the company of larger, louder creatures but gregarious among their own kind. They are English in origin—one breed of them at least. There are numerous breeds, but it is the English land dwelling isopod Armadillidium vulgare that is most recognized. These are the common “pill bugs” or “potato bugs” (not to be confused with the clumsy, not-quite-aerobatic beetles who resemble slow-witted, flying potatoes.) Most commonly, however, these creatures are known as woodlice: a misnomer since they are neither wooden nor lice. They are crustaceans, not insects. But like insects, they’re cute…intriguing…well-mannered and companionable. On a Friday with promise, a ninja-photographer Friday (with the promise of more Persian food and conversation) I saw woodlice in a truck yard. There was moisture in the rocky soil; a doodle of scented decay colored the air with a sweet and crisp redolence. It was the kind of rot-scent that cleanses the lungs, that touches the palate with the fine bouquet of a strange wine. Yes. The scent can intoxicate, and it often does. Woodlice are responsible for this, as are their millipede and beetle companions. They are quiet as they brew their perfume or coax it from fallen trunks that might once have been oaks or maples in some long-vanished day. And so on a Friday with the promise of food and conversation, I hunted woodlice and found a small number of them. It was a bright day. A sunny day. And so the isopod-crustaceans were hesitant to walk in the open. I disturbed rocks and wood and found them. Creatures with 14 legs have the ability to move more quickly than the click of a camera’s shutter, but a few…just a few…may be captured. I caught a dozen or so of them, but only half that number of pictures came out with any clarity. They are markers of a day and of a long-standing love. I knew these creatures—common woodlice—as a child. I raised them in glass colony jars, and now—well into my adulthood—I take comfort in them and they are generous in the comforts they give. This is a good thing because I will always seek their company, here in the USA and there…In Russia, though I do wonder what Russian woodlice act like. I hope to find out, but until then, I am content with the English-derived American varieties. *** As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting. Hopefully a good weekend lies ahead for everyone!