Bibble Bug, Cheesy-bug, Chiggy Pig, Roly-Poly or Tank, just some of the regional names for the humble woodlouse.

Turn over a log in the woods or a flowerpot in the garden and you are almost sure to reveal these wonderful little creatures. They do not like the light and will glide away on their 14 legs. They are not lice, they are not even insects, they are crustaceans, land based cousins of crabs, lobsters, and shrimps, they need to stay damp to survive and the light generally means dry.

There are 30 different species of woodlouse in our gardens, meadows, and woods, even deep in our caves. Another 15 species have set up home in greenhouses, brought in with imported plants. Their bodies are divided into 12 segments, seven bearing legs and five forming a rear telson similar to their marine cousins. Their breathing organs are modified limbs under the telson. Being crustaceans, woodlice have to shed their stiff exoskeleton armour as they grow. They do this in two parts, the rear telson first, and you will see young woodlice with a pale half as the new exoskeleton hardens.

Unlike crabs and lobsters, all the segments are jointed, and woodlice can roll up to protect themselves, hence the name Pill Bug. There is a Pill Millipede that can do the same, but they are not close relatives and have 20 pairs of legs. Some woodlice are quite flat and can squeeze into tight crevices, others are more rounded, but these ones can roll into a tighter ball. Some people see them as a pest, but they are very useful because they are nature’s recycling specialists, they feed off dead plants and creatures. They play a large part in the breakdown of fallen leaves and dead wood in our forests.

Woodlice fascinate children when they find them by turning over something in the garden, and they make an excellent nature study project. How many different types live in your garden? You can keep them for a short period for closer study. They don’t ask for much, somewhere cool, dark and damp, from a plastic box to an aquarium/terrarium with a layer of material gathered from where they were collected, but they should be returned to their natural home eventually.