June 8th, 2008
playing dead
Last night, after working in the vegetable garden, I came in and sat down with my laptop to check email. A short time later, I found this tiny green weevil — I’m quite sure it’s a Pale Green Weevil (Polydrusus impressifrons) – wandering around the keyboard. It’s very minute – about the length of a grain of rice (if that). In his book Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity, Stephen Marshall states that the three species of Polydrusus were accidentally introduced from Europe to North America, and are now among the most common weevils on poplar, willow and birch. I’ve photographed these before and found that the coloring and interesting articulation of their legs is beautiful and fascinating.
In true weevil fashion, they are prone to playing dead when threatened. When I moved this weevil back outdoors and placed it on a leaf, it immediately rolled over and lay very still for about twenty seconds before kicking itself upright. The “undercarriage” of many beetles often reminds me a little of an overturned car, or better still, some kind of Mars exploration vehicle.
