The snail trail

Snails and slugs are ubiquitous on the property, though they are careful to stay out of the light and in damp places in the summer. One of the more notable snail species is the Pacific Sideband Snail. They can have striking banded shells, or somewhat plain ones. When we’re on walks, I’m always on the lookout for an untenanted one to keep as a showpiece, but every time I’d pick one up, the owner was still there, indignantly closing its operculum and waiting for me to set it down again. More strange, I’ve come across empty shells in the forest, but they are invariably bleached out to a dull ivory color. This does happen to match the coloration of another snail species we have, but where are the banded empty ones? I’m not sure if the shells bleach out when the snails die, if they’re really good at hiding them when they die, or if another snail comes along and takes up residence.

The other day, I was working in the back yard and thought I had finally found an empty banded snail shell. It seemed very light, and I didn’t see an operculum when I looked in the entrance hole. I took it to Sherri, and she put it in her curio cabinet hanging from the wall. Case closed, we had another bit of Ten Mile Lake in our house to enjoy.

However, the owner of the shell turned out to be very much alive. The next day we found this:

The snail had left its assigned cubicle second from the left, journeyed one space to the right, and was parked at the top of that cubicle. You can see the mucous trail it left. We had a good chuckle over that one, and set the attempted escapee free. And so the search for an empty Pacific Sideband Snail continues…

1 Comments

  1. Nicole VanDemark

    Reply

    Hahaha! I bet Sherri loved that one! It sounds like their shell is very coveted, either by living creatures or the weather. I hope everything is coming together for the retreat. I’m so bummed I can’t be there, but my back needs attention. I hope you will send me copies of the recipes you are making. Kirk and I look forward to hearing your success stories!

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