Whaaattt?

The USA seems to have moved from a demented President to one who acts without thinking or apparently caring about the consequences. He then has to backtrack rapidly but by that time much damage has been done.

 

Have you noticed that there are two behaviours of woodlice, ones that roll up and those that don’t? We do often get them in the house, and I usually have to keep my eyes open first thing in the morning to avoid treading on them. The ones that roll up are very easy to pick up and escort outside. The others have to be gently turned over, and will then happily hold onto my finger to be picked up. I do have a soft spot for them, very cute little things. Not comfortable handling other creepy crawlies though. However I have been known to force myself to pick up the occasional worm, when I find one stranded on a pathway and in potential danger of being walked or ridden over!

 

I think all we are doing on here is commenting on what we see happening in the USA, and more importantly, what is happening to the rest of the world as a result of current behaviour there. Apart from the tyrants and dictators, most governments have rules to follow. For as long as I’ve been around, the government of the USA has been by the people, and for the people. The rule book has now been torn up. Those opposing Trump are still trying to play by the rules, and he isn’t. Where will it end? If his behaviour was confined to his own country, we would just roll our eyes and feel sorry for the population there. However, he has directly made threats against other countries, and the free world will support them, and oppose him.

 

I call them slaters but here are some more regional names….

Granny grey, cheesy bob and chucky pig.

In Welsh it is known as a mochyn coed, which means wood pig.





A good way to pick up a wandering worm is to find a small twig, push the twig under the worm and lift it gently off the ground. The worm will drape itself nicely over the twig, allowing it to be tossed into the nearest safe place.

 

My stepfather used to say "chuggy pig". He was from the west midlands.

 

@Ergates, I think both the UK and US gov has been controlled by Big Money for a long while. The difference now is Big Money is so powerful, it doesn’t matter how open they are in their scheming because voters can’t do anything about it. They don’t need to dress things up to seem palatable, they can just go ahead siphoning off tax-payer money and destroying society. Large companies (Facebook, Google, etc) can do the same. At one time they cared how they were perceived. No longer. Google originally tried to conceal its contracts with the military. Not now. Facebook pretended it cared about democracy and well-being of users. Not now.

 

I give up and roll over. Like a wood pig.

 

@Tidemark I've heard of some of those names but that is one heck of a list. Re worms - I usually just pick them up with my fingers when needed and make them a little hole elsewhere to settle into
@Ergates yes I've noticed that too about the woodlice - wonder what makes some roll up into a ball and others not ?
@redstar what "wiggly" creatures do you have in the US that, like our Woodlice, have a weird variety of names depending on area ?

 

@Philippa, I do that with worms. I love the cool feel of them and the way they move.

 

Oh, Gosh, in the whole USA, could not begin to tell you, the list would be endless, each state has different temperatures, climate, rainfall, vegetation, lack of vegetation etc. Over in my little kingdom, we do get ticks, but possums eat those. We get an occasional mosquito but birds and bats help with those. Sometime we have to treat Ant hills. Sometime a wasp decides my deck wood bench is her next nest when she has the whole huge area to go to. In ground yellow jackets once in a blue moon in the garden bed has to be removed. Have a few good snakes, frogs, turtles. Not really bothered by the creatures here.

 

Ah OK @redstar ....... see what you mean Lucky you with your snakes and turtles - after birds, reptiles/amphibians are probably my favourites.

 

Don't see a lot of woodlice here thoI do leave habitat for them and other critters. We do get a lot of gendarmes tho.

 

Pyrrhocoris apterus or fire bug.

An interesting observation here about them…

P. apterus was the subject of an unexpected discovery in the 1960s when researchers who had for ten years been rearing the bugs in Prague, Czech Republic, attempted to do the same at Harvard University in the United States. After the fifth nymphal instar, instead of developing into adults, the bugs either entered a sixth instar stage, or became adults with nymphal characteristics. Some of the sixth instars went on to a seventh instar, but all specimens died without reaching maturity.[6] The source of the problem was eventually proven to be the paper towels used in the rearing process; the effect only happened if the paper towels were made in America. The researchers could replicate these results with American newspapers such as the New York Times, but not European newspapers such as The Times. The cause was found to be hormones found in the native balsam fir tree (Abies balsamea) used to manufacture paper and related products in America, and in some other North American conifers. This hormone happened to have a profound effect on P. apterus, but not on other insect species, showing the diversification of hormone receptors in the insects.[6] The most potent chemical component was later identified as juvabione, the methyl ester of todomatuic acid, which is produced by the trees in response to wounding; it mimics juvenile hormone closely at the chemical level, defending against vulnerable pests.[7][8]

 

Fascinating @Tidemark. Here they are called gendarmes because, in the 18th century, military guards in France wore scarlet and black uniforms. Gendarmes today wear dark blue uniforms but are still a branch of the military but under the ministry of the interior (Home Office).

As for daring to criticise the politics and leaders of other countries @redstar, it is not rude. Anyone, or any entity political or commercial, whose behaviour has far reaching effects on the lives and security of others has to be analysed and critiqued so we don't get another Hitler or Stalin régime inflicting untold damage.

 

I, for one, am fed up sharing my home with wood lice….