Look what creatures are popping up all over my garden again this year... Grove Snails!
Grove snails are a common garden snail, also known as Cepaea nemoralis, introduced to North America from Europe (once upon a time). Why or when is unclear to me. However, this makes them an invasive species - and this is only a problem if they are threatening native snail species. I wonder if they already have though because all I ever see snail-wise in my garden ARE Grove Snails!
So the question of the day is: Are Grove Snails good or bad for the garden?
They are good in that they are a sign that your garden environment is a healthy one as snails, slugs and frogs/toads are the first to disappear in the presence of chemicals and toxins. Bad in the sense they eat your plants!
I've read that they mainly like to feed on decaying matter and fungi; but I've also read that they will devour your foliage (be it produce or bedding plants). Yet, I typically find snails on the trees (bark), raspberry canes, and wooden items - not leaves. Maybe they are on-route? Maybe they know I am coming, and move away from the 'merchandise' (plant leaves, produce) to fool me?
Last year we generally picked them off what they were stuck to and fed them to the chickens! They loved that! But this year we don't have the chickens and we're not planning to get them this year. So I am wondering what to do with the snails this year - as I don't like killing things.
An organic suggestion given is to set out beer traps for them: they go in and don't come out. But I don't like the idea of plastic beer traps all over my garden. And it's still killing them:(
Some interesting facts about Grove Snails:
They are hermaphrodites and must mate with another snail to produce a fertile eggs. Mating is typically in late spring through early summer. It takes a snail a year to mature, and three years to develop from an egg to a breeding adult! (Good to know they don't breed like bunnies!) And they can live up to 8 years! Wow...I can't believe some snails in the garden have lived on this property longer than I! That kind of gives things a new perspective!
In the winter, snails hibernate. They come out during warm spells. (That's why I find them in the dirt). (Wonder if they eat more of your garden goodies in the fall so they can pack on the pounds for a long winter sleep? :)
Finally, the Grove Snail is actually an edible snail! So for those of you who like escargot - here's a 0-mile diet delicatessen for you! Maybe this is what Jason and I should try this year? Perhaps I can get around the 'killing' aspect if I think of it "for a higher cause?" Higher up the food chain, more like it! I'm not entirely convinced about eating them just yet. But it sparks my curiosity.
What about a snail aquarium? I've come across several people online who put Grove Snails in their aquariums and keep them as pets. Um, not really my thing. Then again, they could be a food source for other pets like hedgehogs, turtles, ???
Some things to think about.
