Ok, I am the first t o admit that I really don't like slugs. Their slime is horribly sticky and it doesn't come off very easily, they're rather ugly, and it really freaks me out when I step on one.
However, I'm a live and let live sort of person and as long as they stay out of my container garden I just ignore them. Even when I do find them in a plant, I just have the kids transplant them back to their proper area. The kids? Yep. Something about those slimy little things fascinate my littles and has since the day we moved in and they discovered them.
We share our garden with Limax maximus, otherwise known as the Great Slug or the Spotted Leapard Slug. Does that give a good indication of appearance and size? They're a rather drab greyish brown with black spots. The first day the kids saw them showing their slimy little heads, we looked them up. And let me tell you something. You can have an exceelent Nature referance library including a complete 12 volume set of the Audubon Nature Encyclopedia and you will be able to find almost nothing about slugs! Everything refered us back to snails! Thank goodness for the internet because there is a plethora of info out there.
My children will now routinely go hunting through my garden containers to find these creatures and they delight in them so much that they even leave bits of food out for them! LOL But why am I posting about this now? Because Deedee, bless her little heart, managed to find a slug in the act of laying eggs! She came in the house yelling about something and I'm in the midst of canning appricot jam so I wasn't paying much attention until she shoves her hand in my face that was full of a rather large pile of eggs with a good sized slug on top of it! Talk about a heart attack!
All of that has revived interest in slugs in my household and my kids have been wanting to know everything. So for the last day or so, we have been looking at lots of pictures and reading lots of stuff about slugs and I thought I'd share some of it. I regret that I was unable to get a picture of Deedee with her prize before I had her return it to the nice safe dark spot where she found it behind her play kitchen outside but I do have some pictures taken of the Limax maximus a little over a year ago that I will share.
The musings of my childrens journey in the wonders of love, life, and spirituality. Love, Live, Laugh, and Learn. That's what it's all about. Welcome and blessed be.
* Carey ~ Beloved husband that puts up with everything.
He's majoring in history, loves to read, play D&D and Mech Warriors.
* Ami ~ Me. Busy teacher and housewife. I love to spend
time with the kids, read, garden, cook, knit, sew, make my own soaps
and salves.
* James ~ Our oldest at five. He loves to build with blocks, enjoys the guitar, adores robots and believes he
can't live without his trucks (and skateboard).
* Charles ~ My little monkey! Our youngest son at four, he
is the most precious gift ever recieved on a birthday.
He's a wonderful, sunny little guy that's very inquisitive and artistic.
* Meradydd ~ Our oldest daughter at three.
An opinionated and exceedingly bossy little girl with a temper to match her copper hair.
My little fashion diva that loves shoes, furlies, & hair pretties.
* Kathrynn ~ Kitty is my 1 year old little angel. She's a beautiful, mellow little girl that's extremely patient but is also starting to show her claws.
Abraham Lincoln ~ You have a Bible and a library card what more could you possibly need? You prefer the Charlotte Mason Method of reading living books for everything: historical fiction, biographies, real histories, nature guides, etc. No soon-to-be-outdated textbooks for you. Visit my blog: Guilt Free Homeschooling Take this quiz!
