Wednesday, July 28, 2010

And Then There Were Two

Limax has a girlfriend! Limax has a -- well, actually, slug relations are both more and less complicated than that (slugs have only one sex, Utility Infielder); but it's the principle of the thing. I noticed them when heading back into the house from working in the garage. I have been trying to keep an eye open for the critters, wondering if the one I saw lived nearby or was just passing through....

Asked and answered: For scale, the round pods next to them are hackberries, almost as big as green peas.

Are these slugs fast? They were both in plain sight when spotted, elephant-gliding across the walk. In the time it took to me to get indoors, cross the kitchen to the library, grab my camera and race back out, the Number One Head Slug In Charge was ducking under the downspout. For slugs, they've got game. Not sure if this is the same Great Gray Slug I spotted soloing earlier -- markings are close. The caboose one looks very different. Pretty fair sidewalk-patterned camo, though.

Sure wish I could get 'em to hunt ants. We have a surplus.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hang suet or sunflower seeds close to ants. Wait for flicker (or whatever your local woodpecker variant is).

Watch a pro at work decimating the local ant population.

Downside - masses of finches, sparrows, and pigeons scarfing your sunflower seeds.

Upside - Chickadees - they eat the sunflower seeds - they also eat spider egg sacks and spiders.

BoxStockRacer

LabRat said...

"Slugs have only one sex, Utility Infielder"

Watered my keyboard and monitor.

BobG said...

Oh no, slug pr0n!

Roberta X said...

LabRat, that line was specifically intended for you -- and anyone else who'd read up on slug sex.

They pitch, they catch, they man alll the bases. What else could they be?