The slimey critters are taking over

One of the good things about having a dog, is that they take you outside so much more than you would actually want to. Weather of no good weather, you still got to go and explore the forests.

Now the weather has been extremely wet here this Summer in the Netherlands. Of course occasionaly you would normally find a snail here and there in the mornings because the gras still has some moist on it, but this year is different.

The snails are taking over as it seems!

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According to Wikipedia these guys are calles the Arion Rufus and they are literally everywhere and you alsmost have to watch out while walking to not splash one during your travels.

'The species is adult in summer, although the timings vary by a month or so between localities. Typical would be for some individuals to reach adult size in May, but to mature only in July, with some surviving until October. The eggs hatch over a broad period from late autumn to spring and studies find great variation in growth rate. Adults are on average over 300 times the mass of hatchlings. The life cycle is predominantly annual; but possibly a few late hatchlings overwinter as juveniles and mature only 18 months or so after hatching.'


That seems about now I guess...


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Because they are so everywhere it was easy to take a couple of snaps from them and when you look at the slimy skin, they actually have beautiful texture. It wasn't really difficult finding a couple to take a snap from. Literally every five meters there would be one just chilling and they keep still really good.

You know when they are taking over when you see the slime across the path everywhere. I even had a couple of tracks inside the house walking over the walls... oopsie!





These guys are omnivores so that is why they are always on the move. What I have learned is that these snails can be poisenous to dogs which ofcourse is a bit of a thing since they are everywhere. What happens is that these snails are 'hosts' for parasites because they like to live in such wet environments. They can easily transmit these to other animals and that is why it is good for dogs to stay away from them.

When I look at my dog? Not really an issue since he hardly seems to notice that there is even a slug. I think he considers it more like a leaf or something and not as a moving animal.

But still this is something to look out for I guess.

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There is so much simple stuff to see in nature also around your area, but you just have to be willing to stop and take a second to look at it. Nature...I like it!

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