Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

slugs

  • Slug in the Greens

    In the Japanese turnip greens, purchased in Brooklyn but sourced in Lancaster PA. Perhaps one of the threeband slugs of the genus Amibigolimax. Sautéed the greens after a good washing, with some lettuce, garlic, and hot pepper flakes. The turnips themselves, which are quite small, were peeled and chopped up for a bean salad.

    mthew

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  • Snigel

    We had wet weather in Sweden, and slugs like nothing better. Rather more so than birds, that’s for sure. Arion vulgaris was everywhere. These seem to be the invasive — “the Spanish slug”– but it gets complicated. Arion lusitanicus has also been used for this species. This journal article suggests it’s actually native to Central…

    mthew

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  • You can see the slugs and the trees

    A brief trip to some of the wet rainforests of the northwest was a revelation. There will be more to come, but shall we begin with an atypical sublimity?Banana slug, Ariolimax genus,perhaps A. columbianus, Pacific Banana Slug? There are two other species, and differentiating them sounds a bit gross. About 4″ long.These are named for…

    mthew

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  • Great Wall Addendum

    Leopard Slugs (Limax maximus). An introduced species, thinking about making more of themselves. And what a process that is!

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  • Mollusks

    Some of the highlights of our gastropod crawl in Central Park on Monday and Tuesday: Helisoma trivolvis, called the Ramshorn or Three-whorled Rams Horn, a fresh-water species fished out of the Meer. This specimen, the only one found, was 1/2″ or 14mm long.The ground was quite dry, so we knew that land snails would be…

    mthew

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  • Not at all sluggish

    I know you’ve all been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first slug of the year in the Back 40, my concrete backyard. Well, here it is. (There were probably others, but as mostly nocturnal creatures, they’re hard to see.) The leopard slug, Limax maximus, slime-delivered. Disliked by gardeners, for they eat greens; loved by…

    mthew

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  • All Creatures Great and Small

    Mostly small. And mostly slimy (cue Monty Python). More tidying up in the Back 40 in preparation for winter. My backyard is a Brutalist expanse of poured concrete, so I use numerous pots for planters. All were salvaged from the street. There’s also a found-on-the-sidewalk wooden box, festively decorated with painted balloons. While moving this…

    mthew

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  • Another Back 40 Gastropoda

    Leopard slug, Limax maximus. This species is native to Europe, but is now found in many other parts of the world. I wasn’t aware until just now that this member of the Gastropoda actually does have a “shell,” only it is internal, underneath the shield, which is that spotted portion at the top front end.…

    mthew

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