SLugS ナメクジ

For some, these guys are enemies and sources of great grief and anxiety.


They are everywhere! This one was on our building project inside the aloha lodge. And last night I found a streak of dried slug slime on my pillow.
Made me smile.

This is a sister flower of the poppy picture that was on my recent entry. I could see the petals moving as the slug consumed the beautiful flower. As much as I wanted to enjoy the flower in its full glory, it was quite a treat to watch the slugs devour it.

This one was hanging off of the ceiling in the hoop house, about 3 feet! We have starts that slugs like on copper pipe stands (shocks the slugs) but with this type of James Bond manuaver they have out smarted us once again.

Hats off to you slugs.

I'm slowly starting to appreciate their presence and work with them. Sometimes our challenges come from a lack of understanding and inviting problems into our lives. When I was farming in the tropical dry forest of Costa Rica, I was one of the few people with a luscious garden during the dry season (locals farm during the raining season....makes sense). 3-4 months after the rain had stopped the roaming cows jumped over the barbwire fence and ate all the corn and rice I had planted. I was devastated. One, because it was the first time I planted rice and they were just starting to form. And two, because they stepped in the garden beds and compacted them a foot down which I had no way to fully remedy.

With some annoyance and anxiety I replanted the beds. A month later they returned. In the 6th month of no rain, they became daily visitors. Then I realized they are my zen teachers. Nothing is gaurenteed in gardening/farming. It is a long journey to a harvest and I just need to be in the present moment and work with what I have. I also realized that I was the one who invited the cows, as nowhere else could these starving cows find fresh green grass. I gave up growing grass and enjoyed the tomatos, eggplants, beans, etc that the cows and the horses didn't care for. I do hope they enjoyed what they ate....I did feel sorry whenever I saw their rib cages bulging through their skin.

Permaculture ethic, sharing the abundance.