Shelley, the Intrepid Beetle Hunter

At last! I have an actual post about Shelley, the Free-Range Turtle! A-way back in December of last year, I did my first post of the FRT. I explained that Shelley came to live in my back yard. I rely on Shelley to be part of my Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system. Shelley hunts down and savages garden snails (and slugs) with great relish. My back yard is now nearly slug- and snail-free! (Front yard still tends to be overrun.)

Shelley also eats the not-quite-ripe bits of fruit that the squirrels nab from the neighbors' fruit trees, steal away to nosh on my fence tops, then drop the leftovers into my yard. Similarly, if I have some bit of fruit or vegetable that sat just a bit too long in the crisper (or, as I call it, the refrigerated compost bin), I'll cut it into smaller chunks (as needed) and toss it out into the areas that Shelley frequents most often. I know that Shelley also likes earthworms and I'm sure she goes for grubs, too.

What I didn't know is that Shelley also seems to have a penchant for shiny objects!

When I was out yesterday afternoon taking the photo of my harvest basket, I heard crunching leaves and investigated. It was Shelley! And she was so engrossed in getting at that bright green object right there under her chin that she didn't even notice me till I snapped the photo.

That bright green bit under her chin turns out to be a Japanese Beetle. So, Shelley is continuing her efforts as a member of my IPM team. Go Shelley!