I’ll be leading a Snail Safari on Earth Day, April 22nd, in conjunction with artist David Colosi’s Snaileidolia exhibition at Open Source. The exhibition is April 15-May 26, 2023. The snails pictured above are Cepaea nemoralis, the Brown-lipped or Grove Snail. At 3/4s of an inch across, this is the biggest land snail you’ll find in Brooklyn. As its alternate common name, English Garden Snail, suggests, it is an import, probably hitching in on plant specimens/associated soil. You’re most likely to find them in gardens, which of course are filled with imported plants, and waste areas.
Here’s a rogue in this mix. No lip, thinner, not as high, and, most distinctively, it has an umbilicus, which C. nemoralis lacks. But, consensus on iNaturaist suggests that this is just a younger C. nemoralis. The umbilicus seems to be closing…
Most of the indigenous land snails in NYC today are tiny. This one is 2mm long. Vallonia excentrica, I think. Perhaps they fit in the urban grind by being obscure.
About 10mm across, these are Triodopsis hopetonensis, Magnolia Threetooth, or so everybody says, although I don’t know how they’re distinguishing these from other Triodopsis. Native to North America, but clearly also brought to the city on plants/soils, as witness their profusion at Brooklyn Bridge Park, which was entirely created on docks and concrete.
A deep umbilicus and three “teeth.” By the way, mollusk species outnumber mammal species 20-1.
I’ve added a new page to this blog detailing my upcoming tours and adventures, including this one.
Backyard and Beyond 
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