Tag: slug

#365daysofbiking Rather sluggish

March 6th – Returning home, I called in at the off licence on the High Street for a treat or two. It had been a long day. Leaving the shop, I nearly trod on this slug, who was clearly travelling somewhere with some intent.

I hate killing anything accidentally, so I photographed it and eased it out of the way with a discarded lolly stick.

I’d had good news, so this wasn’t really a day to pass up the chance to do another creature a good turn…

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May 31st – A very poor photo with lousy focus, but another first for the season: My beloved beauties the orchids are coming into bloom.

They don’t last long, so keep an eye out on canal embankments, meadows and wetlands. We have a number of varieties, and these mall flowers are always tiny perfection.

The slug seemed to be enjoying them too – this example was on the bank of the new pond at Clayhanger.

May 29th – Meanwhile, further on near the Pier Street Bridge, a chance to catch up with the flowers whose photos turned out badly the day before. Clover, the unsung hero of the pasture, meadow and verge is always beautiful, but very overlooked. Nutritious in fodder and attractive to bugs and butterflies, clover does it’s violet thing pretty much unnoticed. 

Another very common flower that goes unremarked is the ribwort plantain – it’s brown flower heads with the white corona don’t look like flowers, but they are. Exceedingly prolific this year, they’re everywhere that grass grows. As kids, we’d pick them at the base of the stalk and play conkers with them. I think they’re fascinating, and demontrate the utter diversity of plant life in the UK.

The damp conditions may not be improving my humour any, but that slug looks in fine fettle. Much misunderstood creatures, that I think are actually rather interesting.

May 8th – I spun home after heavy rain, and had to nip to Chasetown. On the way, I was fascinated by the profusion of slugs and snails, the wet undergrowth and a really, really dramatic sky. I’m always fascinated by gastropods, as they get such a bad press, but we couldn’t really exist without them, and close up, they’re fascinating things. 

Over towards Hammerwich, the oilseed rape is going over now, but today, Lichfield Cathedral spires were clearly visible if you know where to look. I often wonder how many people realise you can see that from here, in just the right spot?

It wasn’t a great day weather wise, but still plenty of interest in Summer’s brewing cauldron.