David George Gordon
. We went to hear him talk about these interesting beasts which grownups often completely overlook, but which endlessly fascinate kids. And why shouldn't they? They are really alien-looking life forms, kids' observant eyes are much closer to the ground where they are generally found, and they are one animal that can't run away from kids! Mr. Gordon was speaking at the Leach Botanical Garden.One of the many amazing things he shared was that slugs actually can crawl right across broken glass, or even a razor blade, without any harm. He actually tested this himself! Mr. Gordon talked at some length about gardener's defenses against slug invasions, preferring more passive deterrents such as copper tape (which gives them an electric shock and therefore repels them) to more aggressive and/or toxic methods which harm both native species and invasives alike. He explained that slugs and snails generally have habitual routes they follow on a daily basis. So if you spot a banana slug one day, and come back to the same spot the next day at the same time, chances are you will spot it again.
Afterwards, Mr. Gordon took us on a brief walk to see a lovely banana slug up close, and to see some slug or snail eggs hiding under a rotten log. The Leach Botanical Garden itself is always worth a trip.
"The Secret World of Slugs and Snails" is full of fascinating information. It's a must for anyone wanting to be more knowledgeable about these ubiquitous critters. It is not a field guide, however. Mr. Gordon is the author of several other cool books, including Field Guide to the Slug
(a slim, 48 page volume illustrated with line drawings), The Compleat Cockroach: A Comprehensive Guide to the Most Despised (And Least Understood) Creature on Earth
, Field Guide to the Sasquatch (Sasquatch Field Guide Series)
, and Eat-a-bug Cookbook: 33 ways to cook grasshoppers, ants, water bugs, spiders, centipedes, and their kin
. From this list you can tell he has both a pretty open mind and a good sense of humor!
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