They Can Hide But I Will Find Them!

  The pretty snail from yesterday's story needs to live in the garden plot and procreate until there are nothing but pretty pink snails.  The Rosy Wolfsnail and its predatory habits would be a welcome change to what dominates there.  I have finally identified the leaf-chewing, melon-pitting, tomato-ruining culprits!  When researching the Rosy, I found that one of the mainstays of their diets is my nemesis snail, the Southern Flatcoil Snail.  What a name but how fitting.  These snails do, indeed, resemble a flat coil of rope...very tiny rope...but rope, just the same. 

  
  While a few of these rascals could be found around the place, I have never seen the thousands that I have recently.  A few years back, I had the bright idea of building raised garden beds.  I figured since I am not getting any younger, it would be nice to have the higher beds.  There was also the idea that lifting the boxes above the ground would be a deterrent to the voles that were tunneling everywhere on the hill.  We were the recipients of the voles in a load of mulch.  They liked the place and were soon taking over the entire hill.  Thankfully, a few dozen rat snakes moved in to solve that problem but the raised beds, themselves, were the start of another.  When building the beds, we bought a load of compost to use as soil.  Never again!  That was yet another mistake on our part.  What started out as a good move turned into a nightmare.  That compost came with snail eggs.  It was not long before each raised bed was housing approximately a thousand snails.  Those snails were eating everything!  Since the snails are nocturnal, it took a while before I figured out who the culprits were.  During the daytime hours, those sneaky, little critters would hide in the cracks of the boxes or up under that same vole infested mulch.  I tried all of the home methods, some of the recommended bought methods and finally turned to a bit of mean ingenuity to eradicate the snails.  As bad as it sounds, I sort of boiled the critters.  Hot water was the only way to get rid of the infestation that was rapidly now moving onto other things.  I was finding the snails in the house!  Nope...not going there!  The raised beds were literally filled with hot water.  The water would not cause problems with future plantings nor would it harm any critter that came to dine upon the now cooked "escargot".  As for the critters that had moved into the laundry room?  Well, I found that that trusty broom swept most of the snails up quite well but using a little elbow grease with a mop and some lavender scented "Mr. Clean" did a grand job of not only deterring the little snails but also killed any bugs that were hiding under the appliances!  Mr. Clean is good stuff, folks!  Cleans and kills insects!

  Now the garden plot is basically cleared of the Southern Flatcoil Snails and I am happy to say that the Little Bayou House is safe and sound from the critters!  No more mulch...no more bought compost!  I think I will stick to what is here and not bring in any more critters! Those Rosy Wolfsnails better get on the ball.  They seem to be slacking on the job!  Thank goodness, Mr. Clean is not lazy!

Pretty Little Pink Cannibal!

  I was looking back through a few of my older photographs and came across one of a snail.  Ever since I was a tyke, I had been told that the pretty pinks shells I would find were from a "garden snail".  Maybe?  But not exactly.  The empty shells were the remains of a quite different snail with a much darker side.  Garden snails munch on plants and plant matter.  They are the bane of gardeners everywhere.  The snails, along with slugs, have been the driving force behind many methods of eradication.  Home remedies, chemicals, salts...everything imaginable has come forth as a "cure" of the snail curse.  Well...there is no need for that at all.  Those methods are doing nothing more than killing the very savior of your plants.  The eradication methods also kill the snail with the pretty pink shells.  Not good if you are a gardener.

  You see, the pink shells are from the Rosy Wolfsnail.  While alive, the shell and snail look more rosy brown than pink but once the shell is empty and dry, it is rather lovely.  The reputation of the snail?  Not so lovely among other snails.  A Rosy Wolfsnail actually dines upon other snails.  It follows the slime trail of snails and slugs and chows down on them.  It is indiscriminate in its choice of dinner as it will even cannibalize its own type given a half of chance.  The Rosy Wolfsnail eats smaller snails whole but will rip a larger one from its shell.  By putting out "snail/slug" bait or poison, you also kill the Rosy Wolfsnail and it is doing its best to help you.  

  The next time you find a Rosy Wolfsnail make sure to leave it in the garden and make sure to thank it for a job well done!  I am pondering if, once the old dog is well, we should go on a great snail search and rehome those babies right in the veggie garden!  

The Long Path

  Low tide on the Bayou is such an interesting time.  Things that are normally hidden beneath the murky waters become exposed.  So many things float in on the tide then become stuck in the mud or marsh. Sometimes, these things are a nuisance.  Irresponsible boaters toss garbage in the waters and invariably that trash winds up at my pier.  I often ponder how those same folks would feel if I threw my garbage in their front yard.  Something to think about, now isn't it.  But not all things brought in sight are ugly!  An old algae covered log can be intriguing while shells can be down right beautiful.  

  This afternoon, the tide was far out from the shoreline.  While the usual driftwood and clam shells could be seen, several "paths" are what caught my eye.  Resembling the otter slides but only tiny, these paths were made by snails.  Olive Nerites were making their way from the waterless shore to the waves lapping on the soft mud. Each snail left a smooth trail as they slowly trekked toward the water.  Each long path (well, at least long for a tiny snail) was about a half inch wide and maybe ten feet in length.  

  I watched one snail for quite a while.  The poor little guy only moved about six inches in that time.  It occurred to me that by the time the snail reached the water's edge, the tide would be shifting.  The rising tide would make his hard work a moot point.  Just about the time he made it safely to the water, the incoming tide would put the snail right back where he started.  A least, he made the effort to better his situation.   Sometimes, it seems to be best to sit back and wait when things seem out of whack but that is not always the case.  I guess I figure that it never hurts to try to improve things when you can.  You will never know what you can do unless you try!

The Crowded "City"

  I like living where and how I do.  For most folks, this life would probably seem hard compared to the standards of today's society.  I do things "the old way".  It suits me.  I grow most of our food and can it for use during the winter months.  We catch fish, shrimp and crabs to go along with the fruits and vegetables.  The old cast iron wood stoves supply our heat during the winter and open windows cool the house during the summer. I am happy living on the Bayou.  I would not fare well in the city.  I get agitated with the hustle and bustle of things and love the quietude of the Bayou and woods.  I love hearing the frogs and toads singing their nightly serenades, the owls calling back and forth from the tall pines and the mullet splashing in the calm waters.  I love finding baby rabbits under the brush piles, large alligators sunning on the mudflats and even the raccoons raiding the muscadines.  I like waking before dawn to watch the sun rise up over the pines and sitting on the pier in the evening to watch it set again.  I like the smells of the Bayou..the magnolias, jasmine and wild honeysuckle, the orange blossoms and peach blossoms, the lemongrass as it wafts in the breeze and, yes, even the "low tide" smell that some find offensive.  I just belong here.

  I sat thinking about this, today, as I watched life in a different big, crowded "city".  While working in the gardens, I moved a container that held bell pepper plants.  Under the pot, in a space about one square foot, an entire city of critters had made their homes.  In fact, even after some scampered to parts unknown, I counted six spiders, fourteen pill bugs, eleven snails, one centipede and about a dozen tiny ants.  They were so crowded that the critters were literally crawling all over each other. The spiders were stalking the pill bugs, the ants were biting the snails, the centipede would have made short work of the spiders.  Each seemed oblivious to the other's feelings which made me ponder if that is how it is in large human cities.  I hope not.  I'd like to think that we all can show kindness to everyone but, then again, I live in my own little world down here and do not have to deal with any hullabaloo from others. Yep, I like it...it suits me just fine.


 

Slugfest

  It is a regular slugfest out there these days.  The whole thing has gotten where you just can't please anyone and everyone has their own idea just how things should be.  It has gotten to the point that there is just no respect...at all...zilch!  Nah, I am not talking politics here or any other such thing.  I am merely relating the story of another day in cleaning the garden.  With the lack of winter (even though that groundhog vows that we shall have six more weeks of it after our entirety of four cold days), the garden is anxiously awaiting a new batch of seeds.  I am here to please but chores are a necessity to get the place suitable for new plants.

  Yesterday saw me restacking the woodpile and uncovering multiples of critters that had sought refuge between the logs for the supposedly cold weather.  I can deal with critters...except roaches...roaches die.   Or termites...those die, too.  Those are the bane of my existence!  But for the most part, critters are simply snatched up and moved to a more desirable place.  I cannot, however, snatch up a slug without being at least a wee bit squeamish.  Those critters have to be flipped, shoved, wriggled, squiggled or otherwise transferred to a carrier of sorts.  I do move them but not as I would the caterpillars or spiders.  Slugs are just not my thing.

  Being "not my thing" seemed to convince every slug in the state to move to the garden area.  I not only found them in the woodpile but under the garden boxes, in flower pots, on the potting shelf, in the greenhouse, under the bag of potting soil and even on the rake handle. This slugfest has got to stop! I could do the whole salt dissolving thing but that gets a bit disgusting so the slugs are persuaded to take residence elsewhere. Today, alone, probably a good two dozen of the three to four inch long bodies of slime were moved down into the woods.  I figured that they can live in peace there eating all the dead wood and leaves that their hearts' desire and there, they would not be a threat to my tiny seedlings.  Most insects would scurry or fly right back to the garden but I figure a slug might grow weary during the four hundred foot trek.  At least, I hope they grow fatigued and give up on the quest to return.

  The slugs that were carted to the woods were all Spotted Leopard or Great Gray Slugs (one and the same..two names).  These critters can get up to eight inches in length when stretched out as long as they can go.  I am not sure how long these actually were as they were too chilly to do much maneuvering but, in my opinion, they were too long regardless. For now, the slugfest has moved to the wooded area behind the house...or at least until I start finding them again tomorrow as the work continues.

Appearances Can Be Deceiving!

  "Appearances can often be deceiving."   "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."  "Don't judge a book by its cover."  We have all heard and even said these fine quotes but do we believe them?  Do we listen to the advice given in them or are we quick to let our eye fool our brain? Sometimes I wonder.

 Today while working in the garden, I came across a vicious beast.  Had this critter been larger, I would have been terrified!  But, thankfully, the beast was tiny....and cute.  It is only vicious because it relentlessly attacks my plants.  I found a land snail which I decided definitely needed to be photographed.  One thing led to another and the snail got quite the closeup!    That is when I realized that things might appear differently when viewed from an unusual perspective.  Our eyes somehow deceive our brain.  The brain can easily be convinced to accept appearances over logic.

  The closeup of the snail's face(?) made think it was some weird critter that I might find beneath the murky waters of the Bayou.  The photograph almost made the thing seem like some giant octopus (not that I would find an octopus in the Bayou as he would be quite the wayward critter!).  Anyway, the two inch long, dark pink shell housed a slimy critter that could stretch out for a good five inches! It was not a giant octopus trying to attack me in the garden!  It was trying to escape my presence by scooting itself across a board.  As it inched along, it left behind a goodly amount of slime.  Poor little guy!  If it kept this up, it would be all slimed out in no time so I toted it down behind the canebrake where it could live in peace.  (Yes, I did feel sorry for a snail.)  

  Still when you view the photographs, try to imagine if you did not know the identity of the critter.  Those eyes protruding out on stems, that slimy, orangish face, those tentacles reaching out at all angles...yep, easy to let the imagination run wild.  The eye was convincing the brain that things were somehow different. MONSTERS ARE ON THE LOOSE IN MY GARDEN!  LAND OCTOPUSES ARE ON THE RAMPAGE!  Oh....I found a snail.

Thank a snail!

  I have been known to sit for hours watching a critter as it moves about the Bayou.  I figure that we can all learn a thing or two about survival or just life in general by watching our animal neighbors.  Most of them have this survival thing down pat which is something most humans nowadays do not.  We have become so dependent on the comforts in our lives that if ever faced with a need to depend on our survival tactics, a good many of us would fail miserably.  Only a handful would know how to forage for food or even know what could be used as food.  Finding a suitable shelter would be totally out of the question.  In other words, a good many folks would succumb to the elements of nature.   All of this talk of survival, foraging and seeking shelter came about simply because I spied a snail.  Yep, a snail.  Now there is a grand example of survival if there ever was one!  A lowly snail could teach us all a thing or two.

   First, about that suitable shelter.  The Marsh Periwinkle (snail in question) carries its shelter about on its back like most other snails.  It is always ready to face any inclement weather conditions and even a lot of would be predators. The snail can even pull back into its shell to ride out a drought!  Now I am not saying that you should hike about with your house on your back but at least have enough foresight to check the weather.  If it is to turn for the worse, dress appropriately!  As for the food foraging, that snail has it together!  It usually feeds upon algae which is good since that seems to never be in short supply.  However, the Marsh Periwinkle has learned to farm!  Small grooves are cut in cord grass and filled with the snail's excrement.  Fungus that grows on the grass is fertilized by this and provides a ready source of meals for the periwinkle. Smart thinking for a mollusk with a wee, little brain!  A ready source of food, a sturdy shelter and protection from predators give the snail an advantage over most humans when it comes to survival in the wild. (As matter of fact, given a bit of water now and again, this same snail could probably survive in our cushy homes as well! Maybe not happily but it could survive.)

  But all this talk of immediate survival is not really what my point is.  The Marsh Periwinkle might just be able to help the entire world survive.  They seem to be highly sensitive to toxic agents.  This sensitivity has led them to be used as test subjects for toxicology studies.  These tests could possibly lead to cleaner water and marshes which would be a boon to all of us. Our lives are dependent on having clean water so this is a step in the right direction.  That said...the next time you see a snail, watch it for a while and think of all that the little critter does.  Then, thank it for being your friend for somewhere down the line, your very life may depend on that gastropod with the wee, little brain.

The Art Business is Moving at a Snail's Pace!

I am in the wrong business!   I should definitely give up this "starving artist" gig and do something a bit more lucrative!  This occurred to me while I was sitting on the pier catching catfish.  I was wasting away a perfect afternoon and had no desires to head back to the house or gardens.  Catfish were good!  They are one of those fish that we do not eat so lucky for them, it is catch and release..most of the time!  If needed as bait for the crab traps, a few are kept.  This afternoon, though, things were A-OK and the catfish were tossed back in the murky water.  Just between you and me..I would have most likely released all of these as they were very full of eggs.  I figure that the more I toss back when they are in this condition, the more I can catch at a later date!  Even though, we do not eat them, they are still fun to catch.  But..back to my lamenting about the lack of business in the art world.  As I sat there on the pier, I noticed a billion and one (or so it seemed) small snails clinging to the pier posts.

These snails are Olive Nerites or Olive Snails.  The Nerites are small snails in the Neritidae Family. They are in great abundance each year and will cling to anything that is in the water more than five minutes!  Each time I pull up the crab traps, you can hear the steady clicking of their shells as they drop from the wire and hit the boards.  They, then, move at a snail's pace (hehe pun intended!) across the plank before dropping back into the water.  After spying the snails, I came up to the house and did a bit of research.  THOSE snails are expensive!!!  I am supposing that they are popular in saltwater aquariums or something since I cannot see spending big dollars for a snail for any other reason.  After reading, I found that they are desirable as aquarium creatures since they eat tons of algae!  Aha!  These critters eat the slime that messes up the fish tank!  Yeah, I can see why that might be worth the hefty price!  When pricing the mollusks, the cheapest ones I found went for two dollars!  Others were "on sale" at two for seven dollars!  Can you imagine some tiny thing about the size of a pea costing so incredibly much?????  I must say that I am impressed!  I have celebrity snails!

Now comes the kicker! There are millions of these critters on the posts!   If I could only find a buyer for my multitudes of mollusks, I would be rich beyond my wildest dreams!  There would be no more waiting months and months between someone expressing an interest in an art piece!  Another plus..I could spend all my time down on the pier and call it work!  Now..that is what I call a job!  Aha!! Chief Snail Collector..a very important title for this very important job!  Now if I could just find a buyer for my snails!  Hmmmmm??

From Rags to Riches..

Perhaps it is the state of the economy or perhaps it is just a way for me to justify the mounds of "stuff" that is stored away in my house but I cannot simply discard something without trying to find a use for it. Years ago, everything was saved to be reused, made over or handed down. Nothing was wasted..nothing was just tossed away. Now, we live in a "throwaway" society. If a person grows tired of something, it is merely thrown in the trash with the thought that another can be purchased if necessary. What a waste. Lately though, there has been a trend for "comfort" items..things remembered from the past that bring solace to our minds. A lot of "comfort" items are merely things that our parents and grandparents made or used in their daily lives.

I was pondering this thought as I was creating a rag rug the other day. I spent quite a bit of time cutting the strips of fabric and then crocheting these strips into a lilypad shaped rug. Most rag rugs from the past were not crocheted but stitched or woven together. I decided that crocheting would work up quicker and easier for what I had in mind. The fabric used for rag rugs comes from any item that is no longer usable as it was originally intended. Clothing items, bed linens, table cloths or curtains..it does not matter..all can be used to make a rug. What makes it even better..it is ok if the fabric is worn, torn or slightly stained! When cutting the strips for the rug, it is easy to work around damaged spots. My rug was made from a jersey knit bed sheet. I did crochet a polyester yarn in with the strips simply to tone down the bright lime green color of the sheet and to give a little more texture to the rug. The entire rug was done in a double crochet stitch and is about three feet in diameter.

After completing the rug, I used remnant yarn to create a waterlily and a cute little snail toy. The waterlily is crocheted around chenille stems (pipe cleaners) to give it a little structure. This I did not attach to the rug as it would definitely have caused a tripping hazard. There are ribbons attached to the back so it can be tied to a window curtain or doorknob as a decoration. The snail was an afterthought and it, too, was created using remnant yarn from other projects.

It was fun to work on a project of this type..something that might have just as easily been made in a different era. I do hope that the recipient of this gift gets as much pleasure from using it as I did from making it.