It is my understanding that while rolly pollies usually only eat decaying plant tissue, if there is a dense population, they will eat live soft plant tissue. Some years ago I heavily mulched around some impatiens with soiled aspen bedding from pocket pet cages. The rolly pollies loved it! I started losing impatiens, though, and noticed the base of the stalk looked chewed. I took one to my extension agent, and he told me it was the rolly pollies.
The birds thought it was a rolly polly smorgasbord! Great bird watching, but my impatiens took a beating.
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