October 12th, 2006
going bananas
Bev here – writing from northern California. Don arrived out west on Sunday and we’re doing a bit of trekking around before returning home next week.
Four weeks into this trip, I finally encountered my first Banana Slugs. I’d been watching for them for a few days, but the earth seemed quite dry along most of the redwood forest trails where we had been hiking, so that must have kept the slugs hidden away in the foliage. However, yesterday, we encountered 3 of these large slugs along a trail where the soil and foliage was damp. This morning, we stopped counting at 15 when we descended a trail down to the beach at Patrick’s Point State Park.
I believe these Banana Slugs are Ariolimax californicus. As their name implies, they are large and entirely yellow. Most of the ones that we encountered seemed to be approximately 15cm (6 inches) in length. While they seemed quite aware and would readily retract their eye-stalks when sensing movement nearby, they seemed to quickly resume their activities if undisturbed. With such a bright colour, the pneumostome (air breathing opening) was quite easily seen.
Also seen along the trails were several very large landsnails with colourful shells (see below). I don’t know the species but suspect that they are commonly seen here in the Pacific Northwest.
I’ll have a net connection for the next day or so and will probably post some odds and ends if I get a bit of time.
October 12th, 2006 at 11:26 am
So you’ve made your way to Oregon, and that’s a banana slug! I’ve heard and read about them but have never seen a photo, and they are certainly yellow. The pneumostome was the first thing I noticed.
It sounds like people really hate them around there though.
October 12th, 2006 at 4:11 pm
Wayne – Don made it to Oregon and then we headed south into California to visit the coastal Redwoods and some of the beaches. I’ll be posting about some of this later today after we return from some wandering around.
The slugs seem to vary a little in colour — some are bright yellow, while others are a dull brownish-yellow. I’m not sure if the vary depending on conditions such as temperature, or if there is an actual difference in pigmentation between slugs.
I’ve also heard that people hate the slugs, but I would think that they would be mostly attracted to decaying vegetation rather than living plant materials. However, I could be quite wrong about that. We asked several people if they had seen slugs along the trails, but most seemed to be unaware of their existence. I had “see a Banana slug” on my “gotta do” list before the trip, so of course, I was on the look-out for them. I guess that says something about my priorities. (-:
Well, gotta get out of here and go do the last couple of “gotta do” things on my list before it’s time to head for home. It’s been a great trip — in fact, something of an odyssey — but I’m feeling a little road-weary and beginning to look forward to being back home at the farm. — bev
October 13th, 2006 at 1:01 pm
Bev – it’s been quite a *long* trip for you!
Vacations don’t appeal to me, but I indulge others in their vacation neuroses. My own vacation neurosis is the anxiety of what’s happening at home while I’m gone. Coyotes storming the cats? And of course the more mundane human predators entering the house. Last vacation I found the perfect foil to indulge my neurosis – the wireless cam – by which I was able to tune into the current visual state of affairs, and believe me I did tune in.
October 13th, 2006 at 1:35 pm
Wayne – Yes, it has been a *long* trip for me — in a lot of ways that lie quite outside of definitions of time or distance.
When I’m traveling, I do think of home, but in a sort of vague way that almost surprises me. Once on the road, I have a feeling that I could probably just keep wandering onwards, so perhaps I’m a lot more nomadic that I believe myself to be. The things that make me long to be home again are being able to sleep in a quiet, comfortable place, and to cook my own food. I guess it comes down to basic food and shelter. I don’t worry too much about my place — and haven’t for quite some time. However, I do worry a little about my family and my dog while I’m off wandering around. Fortunately, with being able to find a net connection pretty easily in many places these days, my family keeps me updated on how things are back home. Likewise, I try to let them know where I am as often as practical as I know they get worried if I’m incommunicado for awhile. Btw, it’s quite amazing how easy it is to get wifi connections in even fairly small towns in the coastal U.S.
October 13th, 2006 at 2:27 pm
Bev! the banana slug is the mascot of the University of California, Santa Cruz– my former place of employment. I saw them all the time there, but have not thought of them since we left California. Wonderful to take another peek at their amazing yellowness.
October 13th, 2006 at 2:42 pm
Robin – they are amazingly yellow. I just loved these quiet, gentle little creatures. A couple of days ago, I found a pair that had met along the trail and were tentatively extending their eye stalks out to check each other out. I would have liked to have spent much longer watching them.