Food and Habits: An omnivorous species, eating carrion and dung as well as vegetable matter. It prefers rotting vegetation to living plants and consequently rarely does much harm in the garden. Largely nocturnal, but large numbers have been seen on freshly mown roadside verges feeding on the grass after daytime rain. Clusters of their pearly-white spherical eggs, about 5mm in diameter, are often dug up in the garden and compost heaps.

Habitat and Range: Common throughout the UK, in almost any well-vegetated habitat. Possibly the black form is commoner in the north and the paler colours found more often the farther south you travel.