Table of Contents
To Jenni, Vea, and Julia
Foreword
by Ciscoe Morris
Lets face it: most folks, especially gardeners, despise slugs and snails. Its hard to appreciate slimy creatures that seem bent on gobbling up edible plants and prized ornamentals. I admit that I was among the ranks of slug and snail haters, until I read The Secret World of Slugs and Snails. Thanks to David George Gordon, Im now so fascinated with these midnight marauders, I actually might even like them!
David George Gordon, a naturalist by education and training, is the perfect guide into the mysterious world of slugs and snails. In this fast and delightful read, youll learn how these incredible creatures surf on slime, breathe, hitchhike to new placesand even think. Youll learn that the voracious plant-eating brown snail is none other than an escargot, introduced here by a French man in the 1800s (who, in my opinion, should have been taken out and shot for what he did!). Youll also learn about the ingenious ways slugs and snails defend themselves when under attack. There are slugs that can jettison their tail, slugs that can jump, and snails that give off a garlic odor that is effective at repelling hedgehogs and other predators (except maybe Italian ones). If all that doesnt hook you, wait until you read the steamy section on slug and snail love. Oh, la, la!
One thing that changed my opinion about slugs and snails was learning the amount of good they do. Their main role in nature is to eat and break down rotting organic substances, turning them into nutrients for plants. Theyre also a great food source for many mammals, reptiles, insects, and birds, and, of course, humans. Medically, they are proving useful too. Slug slime from our own Northwest native banana slug is being used with cancer drugs to make them much more effective in the fight to cure disease.
Despite all of their good qualities, there are still plenty of good reasons to do battle with slugs. For one thing, they have about 27,000 teeth, and theyre good at using them. Slugs and snails eat several times their body weight every day. And, as the author points out, theyre good at reproducing. In fact, when pickings get thin at the singles bar, the old adage love thyself takes on a whole new meaning with these critters. And dont think for a moment that youll ever be able to eradicate these mollusk troublemakers from your garden. Studies quoted in this book found that removal of 17,000 slugs from a single garden in one year failed to make an appreciable dip in the slug/snail population. Fortunately David offers plenty of great suggestions on environmentally friendly, yet effective, ways to allow you to coexist with these remarkable creatures without sacrificing your favorite plants. David also includes a list of plants that slugs and snails tend to devour, and a list of ones to use as replacements that gastropods rarely, if ever, touch.
In truth, youll never completely win the war against slugs and snails, but after reading David George Gordons wonderful book and learning what incredibly fascinating creatures they are, you might not even care.
Ciscoe Morris is the author of Ask Ciscoe
and host of Gardening with Ciscoe.
Acknowledgments
This book would not be possible without the energies of several dozen friends, associates, and family members. I am deeply indebted to Barry Roth, who so freely shared his knowledge of all things malacological. I am grateful to Anne Depue, who advised and encouraged me at every stage of my literary journey up Mount Fuji. Likewise, I am thankful for Whitney Ricketts, a superb editor with boundless enthusiasm for the slimy subjects of this book, and for Kurt Stephan and Gary Luke of Sasquatch Books, who were helpful at every turn of the page. Thanks, also, to Anna Goldstein for her elegant book design. Last but not least, I thank my beloved wife, Karen Luke Fildes, for her unlimited patience and loving support of my work.
Common and Scientific Names of Land Slugs and Snails in this Book
(PRIMARY SOURCE: Common and Scientific Names of Aquatic Invertebrates from the United States and Canada: Mollusks, 2nd edition, American Fisheries Society.)
Ash-black gardenslug Limax cineroniger
Banana slug Ariolimax columbianus
Beaded lancetooth Ancotrema sportella
Blue-grey taildropper Prophysaon coeruleum
Brown gardensnail Helix aspersa
Brushfield hesperian Vespericola pilosus
Cellar glass-snail Oxychilus cellarius
Chocolate arion Arion rufus
Decollate snail Rumina decollata
Dromedary jumping-slug Hemphillia dromedarius
Earshell slug Testacella haliotidea
East African land snail Achatina fulica
Garlic glass-snail Oxychilus alliarius
Giant gardenslug Limax maximus
Giant Ghana tiger snail Achatina achatina
Greenhouse slug Milax gagates
Grey fieldslug Deroceras reticulatum
Grovesnail Cepaea nemoralis
Meadow fieldslug Deroceras laeve
Northwest hesperian Vespericola columbianus
One-ridge fieldslug Deroceras monentolophus
Oregon forestsnail Allogona townsendiana
Oregon lancetooth Ancotrema hybridium
Pacific sideband Monadenia fidelis
Pale jumping-slug Hemphillia camelus
Reticulate taildropper Prophysaon andersoni
Robust lancetooth Haplotrema vancouverense
Roman or escargot snail Helix pomatia
Scarletback taildropper Prophysaon vanattae
Warty jumping-slug Hemphillia glandulosa
West African land snail Achachatina marginata
Yellow slug Limax flavus
Yellow-bordered taildropper Prophysaon foliolatum
INTRODUCTION:
Why Slow and Steady Wins the Race
O Snail
Climb Mount Fuji,
But slowly, slowly!
KOBASHI ISSA
Fast food, fast cars, fast relief from headaches and muscle painit appears that our species is obsessed with speed. Getting the job done quickly, whatever it may be, has become the mantra of many of us. We reach out for anything that will save us a few minutes, whether its a fast-acting oven cleaner, a cup of coffee to go, an even higher-speed Internet connection, or a ride in the corporate Learjet.
And why shouldnt we want things to move as quickly as possible? After all, life is short, and anything that gives us more time to enjoy it is unquestionably an asset. Driving 65 miles per hour on the interstate will save several hours that might otherwise be wasted while traveling the same distance on a two-lane country road. So the choice for speed is cleareven if it means losing the opportunity to stop and smell the roses along the way.
