A thing of beauty

Well, now that the Highlanders have been moved to pastures unknown and out of range of Gus walks, I am looking for other subjects. Here we have a humble slug (the red form of Arion ater) crossing a path on Heathwaite. The early morning light was ideal for giving it a bit of backlighting and bokeh.

The poor slug, nobody loves it. No-one writes poetry about them, unless it is mocking verse for kids. Gardeners are tormented by them; and if there were not already enough slugs to contend with, we now have the monster Spanish slug invading our gardens and allotments. I have never used slug pellets, I used to put out slug pubs of cheap beer for them to drown in, but I can't bear to do that any more. The slugs now find their place in the garden, we generally grow plants that are slug-proof, and the blackbirds help to keep numbers down. Hopefully, the hedgehog I saw two nights ago will become a regular visitor. We may need him as last year's wet summer will mean a bumper slug year in 2013.

What I hoped to show with this photo is that even slugs have their own beauty, after all, what living thing doesn't (though I might make an exception for ticks)? More beauty here. The topmost tentacles have light sensitive spots in the tips, not strictly eyes as we understand them (though the slug's relatives squids and octopi have highly elaborate eyes), the lower tentacles are used for smell and taste. The other photo shows the respiratory pore. If nothing else, we should admire the locomotion of slugs and snails, they slide along with hardly a ripple of muscle - something truly graceful.

What a beautiful Spring day, albeit a bit of a lazy one, and it's not over yet. There is Gus's walk along the estuary to come yet - so if there is anything spectacular I may have to add a link to the other place.

ps I have tagged all my Highland cow blips here