Dennis,

Thanks, I never knew what those garden-eating foreigners were... although
I did know the identity of the native banana slug. Can you tell us the
Latin and common names of the other 2 common yard/garden slugs (at least
they're common in my Olympia yard), which I assume are likewise introduced?

One is about 3 inches long and generally brownish-gray, no spots. Is this
just a young leopard slug (the Pacific Northwest's "Spotted Slug"?), or
is it something else?

Another can get up to around 4 inches or more long, is dark brown on the
dorsal surface and that ugly (subjective observation) orange on the
ventral.

Of the 4 (more or less) types of slugs in the garden and yard, only the
Banana Slug shies away from the garden, apparently doing its detritivore
thing. The others use my unmowed lawn as a "no-slugs-land" from which they
invade the garden and flower beds, stripping any herbaceous plant that we
want to keep. Tomatoes, pumpkins, even serreno chiles have been taken
down to the stem by these Pests. On the other hand, they do speed up the
composting process by grazing away the top layers...

Bird Link: Do any birds eat these things, other than domestic mallards?

Thanks,

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, WA
anderjda at dfw.wa.gov

> Dennis Paulson writes:
> > >There is a (little) quiz, simply because I am not sure of what species
> > >of slug it is. I don't doubt that you'll let me know quickly :-)

> > Serge, I could only let you know as quickly as Netscape was able to get
> > through. Your slug is _Ariolimax columbianus_, the common native banana
> > slug of the Northwest. The introduced leopard slug, _Limax maximus_, has
> > little spots all over it.