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Creepy-Crawly Poetry -
Leaf Beetles
These insects come in a variety of different colours with a wide range of patterns and markings - including metallic sheens in some species. This bright colouration is to warn potential predators that the beetles do not taste very nice and therefore should be left alone! As their name suggests leaf beetles are herbivores and feed on the flowers and leaves of almost every plant in almost every kind of habitat. Their larvae also feed on leaves, stems and roots. For this reason leaf beetles can be serious pests to farmers and gardeners. For instance, the colorado beetle feeds on potato, tomato and aubergine and can decimate a farmer's crops.
Turn Over a New Leaf Beetle
Take a leaf beetle out of my book
before the poor thing gets flattened,
It's crawling all over the open pages
in a kind of random zig-zag pattern.
I came out here into the garden
to read for half an hour or so,
But this beetle keeps distracting me
and for some reason it just won't go.
I'd like to softly nudge it away
with a gentle prod of my index finger,
But perhaps that would be unkind
so maybe I should just let it linger.
The thing is I can't even turn a page
or I'd squash it as if in a vice,
And that would make a terrible mess
plus it wouldn't be particularly nice.
so here's the solution to my problem;
I'll simply blow it away like a breeze,
Then it can fly somewhere more suitable
and nibble the leaves on the trees...
Colorado Beetle
(a member of the leaf beetle family)
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Leaf Beetles
