It's not clear whether 'cornucopia of slugs' is the right collective noun but it sounds nicer than they look! Walking was tricky on a visit to the allotment after a very rainy few hours - I may not be a slug fan, but I don't want to tread on them!
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| Spanish or English? |
The grass paths and netting in particular were covered. Various sizes and colours and some snails. But it's the BIG slugs I'm amazed by. We've seen them reach ~20cm, okay, I know they're stretchy but ick :-/
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| Interesting textured body - but not sure about the tiny slug on its back... |
Two questions:
1. Are these spanish slugs? I've seen them eating other slugs and snails
2. As these slugs are happily eating poisonous leaves, like potato and rhubarb, do they become poisonous, so other predators won't eat them?
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| Orange-Banded Arion (maybe) |
Earlier in the year we saw a female blackbird rubbing a slug in the dry dirt to get rid of some of the super-sticky mucus. I can see why there aren't many predators, but hope that frogs, toads and grass snakes are still willing to eat them.
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| Giant eating the rhubarb leaves |
There's a slug identification guide on the
Slugwatch website and more information about the spanish invasion, so I'm going to contact them about our slugs - I'm sure they're not normal!
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| Snails are also eating the rhubarb leaves |
They look like the Spanish slugs to me! I can't be sure though, I haven't seen them in my garden, but the folks on the friendly gardeners Facebook group are raving about them at the moment. It's an invasion!!!
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