The feature wonderful picture was taken by Karl Dawson check out his website, he has some brilliant wildlife and other animal shots.

Snail Trail

The wonderful garden snail how you come in so many colours and sizes, your so cute even though you’re slimy and yes every year you will eat my lettuce and Hostas. I don’t have the heart to throw them into the road or worse still stand on them, or throw them into next door neighbors garden not forgetting their remarkable homing instinct, they will come back! When you pick them up and their little head pops out  with those eyes, you can’t kill that, they only ate your lettuce and other plants because they were hungry. Besides I am sure it was the family of slugs that ate the most.

Snails do do damage, however in a natural garden environment they are beneficial to the natural balance of things. They are provide food for birds, slow worms, earthworms, insects.

 Did you know a snail can live up to 20 years! Well unless the locals don’t get to it first.

 Just read an article by Geoff Hodge from Love The Garden website (Interesting website, loads of interesting information on gardening) according to the RHS list of top 10 garden pests slugs and snails are number 1. and they were no 1 back in 2012 poor things. Vine Weevils were no 2 which means they have gone up a place, I saw more last year too. Lily beetles and ants are up at no 9 and honey fungus at 10. Although confusingly the article then states that honey fungus is the worst pest, not sure what they are saying here, but the point is still the same slugs and snails are on the list of most common garden pests.