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Monday 30 June 2008

slugs and snails and..rabbits' tails?

Well, I have almost done all the planting I need to before we go away. Still a couple of more things to put in pots but I can see the end of it now. All the stuff I wanted to put out the front has gone in, and I've done a token bit of weeding too!

Moved one pot to find a cluster of seven snails attached to it, and on removing them found a vine weevil, which made me squawk, then squash it. A couple of years ago I'd have thought 'oh, what an interesting beetle! I wonder what it is?' and leave it be. Did that with the Red Lily Beetle, not realising what it did, and my poor Snake's Head Fritillary did not appreciate my ignorance. The naturalist and the gardener battle it out inside me, but there are those pests I am generous with, and those I am not...

Slug and snails' eggs everywhere. The most common I find look very like slow release fertiliser granules...except they can be crushed (and when I have the time, they are).

Although I also discovered these at the bottom of a seed tray module. Plonked them in a pot of salt water. Much less repugnant than having to kill the adults. I'm rather weird and find snails (and even some slugs) quite cute, in a quirky kind of way.

Anyway, have been on phone to my mum to make some arrangements; they are doing some house and rabbit sitting for us! Charlie is well - he got a bit of hay in his eye the other week, but as soon as I noticed discharge I examined it and got it out. I must have caught it quickly; his eye is perfectly fine. He needs a bath this week (ack, another thing to do); I cleaned out his hutch this morning. He is chilling out in his run, althought the weather certainly isn't chilly - very hot in the sun this afternoon.

Anyway; things to do.


Today: 5/10, medium

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I guess it's a tribute to the landscapers our apartment complex uses that we've rarely seen a slug here (I've only ever seen snails in a local park). Our last complex had lots of slugs that we'd see crawling across the sidewalks during our early morning walks. Of course, we now rarely see things that eat slugs, either, like toads, so there's a tradeoff in that respect.

Anyway, good luck with your snail and slug battles!

"The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people."- Richard Foster