nature’s recyling agent — the snail
The April rain would whisper down soft and gentle and as the trembling rain droplets fall beneath the hedgerows it would then awaken the sleeping snails beneath who come to revel in the welcome moisture. Having awakened from their long winter sleep the first thing they do is go in search of their favourite foods, tender young shoots to build up their strength for the new seasons ahead.
The role they play in nature is one of recycling vegetable matter into fragments, this then enables smaller creatures such as worms, springtails and white worms to name but a few to break this down further. The micro-organisms will then complete this process thus enriching the soil below. Slugs are also recycling agents both above and below the soil. Did you know that snails are species indicators detecting atmospheric pollution?
The common snail (Helix Nemoralis) and the pretty yellow banded snail are a favourite food of the Song Thrush. The much larger snail, the Tabby Hued (Helix Aspersa) is an edible snail that was brought here by the romans and is a much heavier and awkward snail for the Song Thrush to manage. However, being the wisest member of the Thrush family, of which there are many, the Song Thrush is the only one to have mastered the art of using a stone as an anvil enabling it to break open the shell to devour the tender morsel inside. The Blackbird however, being a more dominant bird is watching close by and being an opportunist will steal their hard earned prize.
Snails are hermaphrodites, male and female in the same body, however they still need to make contact with other snails to be able to mate. They will come together and spiral around each other on a muscular sole (foot) which is directly connected to the shell by a columella muscle. As their bodies touch each releases a love dart, a tiny chalky dagger which enters each other’s skin, this then stimulates and excites them and they mate immediately, a shorter affair unlike the slug whose twisted bodies stay connected for many hours. The snails will later find their way home by touch memory.
Snails can live for many years, some as many as 12 years. In the winter months thrushes spend their days seeking out snails hidden in the hedgerows. Before snails hibernate for the winter they will cement their entrance door by means of dried and hardened slime. In severe winters they will double glaze their door to protect them further. They will then reduce their heart rate to less than ten beats per minute conserving their energy for the long months ahead.
Both slugs and snails dislike certain aromatic plants (herbs). The common sage (Salvia Officianalis) is very effective in helping to solve the problem of these creatures invading your precious garden plants. Thyme and Hyssop can also be brought in to play and are somewhat safer than some harmful alternatives. Whenever possible, companion planting with herbs would be a wiser choice before reaching for the pellets and chemical sprays which could be harmful to the birds and to the environment.
