Creepy-crawlies in the air... dragonflies, wasps, hover flies, bumblebees, gnats, butterflies,                                         midges, house flies, moths, lacewings, dance flies, mosquitoes,

Creepy-crawlies on vegetation... ladybirds, froghoppers, crab spiders, aphids, leaf beetles,                                                shield bugs, crickets, barklice, grasshoppers, stick insects,

Creepy-crawlies on the ground... woodlice, earthworms, millipedes, tiger beetles, scorpions,                                                earwigs, carrion beetles, wolf spiders, slugs, centipedes,

Creepy-Crawly Poetry -

Skipjacks

These insects are coloured either brown or black and have long, narrow bodies. They're nothing special to look at, but they possess an incredible skill which they use whenever they are trapped on their backs. By building up tension in their muscles, and then suddenly releasing this tension, they are able to throw themselves up into the air and hopefully land back on their feet. They can leap to a height of 30cm and may somersault several times before coming back down to land. Their leaps are accompanied by a loud 'click' noise which is how they get their alternative name of Click Beetle.

       Skippy The Beetle

Skipjacks flip back the right way round

if they've landed upside down.

Skipjacks flip back onto their feet

with a trick that's really neat.

Skipjacks flip back and don't get stuck

by using skill instead of luck.

Skipjacks flip back in no time at all

so they never get stranded after a fall.

                 Skipjack or Click Beetle

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Duncan Hoult asserts himself as the sole author of all poems on this website