Penny called me out into the garden this morning. “I’ve never seen so many slugs in my life!” she declared, and continued, “I thought I had a slug-free garden!” When I looked, I had to concur.

And they were doing ‘naughty’ things on the lawn – for all to see!

Whether it was the Blue SuperMoon or the damp weather, something had clearly signalled to the slugs that it was Festival Time. 

I’m still a child at heart. My inner-child wondered at these disgusting looking things. It asked, “What’s the good of slugs?”

It turns out that slugs, in sensible numbers, can be a blessing.

They are great at decomposing. That is, they can help break down decaying and even dead plant material. They turn it into humus that is nutrient rich – blessing the soil.

Slugs are also good for soil aeration – as they create their tunnels and burrows. This is better for water management and for root growth.

Allegedly, wildlife likes to eat them, though we’re not convinced. The number of times we had slugs sharing food with our hedgehogs on the hogcam may explain why we had SlugFest today.

Happy slugs indicate that we have a happy environment. Clearly, Penny’s garden has a touch of Eden!

Medical breakthroughs may also come through slugs as research suggest their slime may help with wound healing. Yuk!

OK, back to life, back to reality… I truly think slugs are yucky. Interesting but yucky. And yet they seem to have a purpose and a value in our ecosystem.

Do you know any people who you wouldn’t naturally be fond of? I do! Probably takes one to know one! But I got to thinking that the next time I turned my nose up at somebody’s yucky attitude or behaviour, I’d apply the Slug-Test and try to discover what good they may be trying to achieve… in their unique way! Everything has value. Everyone has value.

In the meantime, look out for the New Dorset Theme Park… “Slug World!”  Seasonal, of course!

Lex

A Moodscope member