Thursday 30 March 2023

Planning

 

Planning

All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Unusually, I am preparing well ahead – well, a day or two, anyway – for the 2023 A to Z Challenge. It is several years since I undertook this challenge.

I am basing my posts on ‘Nature’, a fairly wide-ranging theme, I think you’ll agree.

One of the wonderful things about ‘Nature’ is that most things have at least two names, the official, usually Latin name, and the accepted common name or names. Some things have many different local names. It also means that one ‘thing’ may appear in several categories, though Q, U and X are a bit thin.

For example, woodlouse can be categorised under W (obviously!)

but also under crustacean (C), Oniscidea (O), Isopoda (I), Armadillo bug (A), butcher or butchy boy (B), cheeselog (C), gramersow (G), pea bug (P), roll up bug (R), slater (S), wood pig (W). See how I have, in true teacherly fashion, emphasised the concept of multiple categories, otherwise known as ‘hammering it home’?   

  
 Their only form of defence is to roll into a ball. I don't think it's very effective
I discovered, thanks to Wikipedia, that the mother woodlouse keeps fertilised eggs on the underside of her body in a marsupium (lovely word) or brood pouch. The eggs hatch into little white baby woodlice, though they only have six of the eventual seven pairs of legs. Females can also reproduce asexually. 


If you should be tempted to try eating these tiny crustaceans, be warned that they taste unpleasantly of strong urine. (Would weak urine be a more acceptable taste?) 

As an aside, how many woodlice would one need to create a starter?


They are also a popular pet! Some are bred specifically for their colour.

Blue woodlouse

 Should you so desire it, the Rubber Ducky will set you back more than $100 (£100) for six individuals.

Rubber Ducky Isopod, (Cubaris sp. "Rubber Ducky")

   £25.00 GBP

The collective noun for woodlice is ‘a quabble’. I really want an opportunity to use that lovely noun in company. (I am a fount of useless knowledge and can close down any conversation.)

Oh, damn, now I can’t use woodlouse . . . !

From a plethora of photographs in Lightroom, I have compiled a list of ‘things beginning with’ and now have to select one or two for each letter, otherwise my posts will be unconscionably long. I just hope I can continue to the end, to Z, (there I go, ramming it home again) rather than fading out ignominiously around the half-way mark.

25 comments:

  1. Ugh. I loathe woodlice. Every time I lift a plant pot outside there are piles of them underneath squirming and scrabbling. I even find the odd one in my bathroom!

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  2. I can see they might not be to everybody's taste, but I rather like them, harmless little things. I remember finding them fascinating when they rolled up into balls.

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  3. Is quabble a real word? Can I use it in Scrabble?

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    1. Apparently, it also means to argue, so, yes, it's a legitimate word for Scrabble :-)

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  4. Someone told us they are the only land based crustacean.
    The rest of their cousins are prawns and lobsters and stuff - is that correct?

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    1. I looked it up and there are terrestrial crabs. Also, some woodlice have adapted to water, so it's a mixed bag, really. I wouldn't want to see something the size of a lobster walking across my garden!

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    2. Unless it tasted a lot more attractive than strong urine.....

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  5. No, a light urine taste would not be any better! LOL. Fun post!

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  6. They're slaters here in Scotland. But we don't eat them. The baby ones are quite cute, though. You know, in a slightly urgh way. Thanks for your sympathy re my husband. He's been diagnosed with angina but seems to be ok. I hope.

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    1. Yes, the babies are quite cute.
      It's good that your husband's problem has been diagnosed. I hope he keeps well.

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  7. We have what we call slaters but they are different to wood louse. Well, I thought they were. They look similar but not the same.

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    1. There are variations in all organisms, I guess.

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  8. We call them slaters here in New Zealand too! Not sure I would be keen to eat them ... they usually hide in our wood pile or run out when I lift up a garden pot.

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  9. Of course you can still use woodlouse (slaters to us in Australia), by the time you get to W others taking part in the challenge will have not seen this post or may have forgotten it.
    I sometimes get the little buggers inside my home! Yuk.

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  10. I'm not keen on them in the house, but find them quite acceptable in the garden. They're the gardener's friend - or one of them!

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  11. Hi Janice - we're in for a treat of A-Zs ... love this - the woodlouse is an important part of our natural world - while quabble is so good to know about. Cheers Hilary

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    1. I'm always impressed by other's contributions.

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  12. Hey, cool- my new dad's a fount of useless knowledge, too! Not sure I'd enjoy those things based on your description of the taste. Nice to meet you, new friend. Have an extra splendid weekend.

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  13. In spite of not being the biggest fan of woodlice, I thoroughly enjoyed this informative yet fun post! I can't imagine having a pet woodlice, though, and seeing that rubber ducky up close did make me shudder for a moment. As a collector of collective names, I can't wait to use "a squabble" in one of my post. Will be lifting flower pots in the garden to see if I can find some! xxx

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  14. Collective nouns are great fun, aren't they?

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  15. I left a comment but don't see it now, very curious as I've just found the same on another blog too. I know some people are having problems where comments are going into spam, I wonder if that's what's happening. Anyway I was saying that I really don't like woodlice, though I do love the word Quabble, haha.

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  16. Blogger commenting can sometimes be a bit hit and miss. Quabble is a great word, isn't it?

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