Hygromia cinctella

Hygromia cinctella is a medium sized snail, the adult shell being about 13 x 8 mm. It breeds in spring and summer and matures in one year so at the moment there are adults and immature individuals (as in the photograph) in the garden. It is frequent near dwellings around old walls and nettle beds and is not usually found in the more semi-natural habitats. Some slugs and snails are very destructive to garden plants but this is not one of them. It is reputed to be fond of strawberries but I have usually found it eating decaying material rather than green plants. Things to notice are: the size (small) and ornament (smooth) of the embryonic whorl (the shell present when the snail hatched from the egg); the shape and striation of the later whorls; a lighter peripheral band of the shell; the dark grey colour of the animal.