Cyn's Nature Notes: Do Slugs Eat Worms?

Wednesday 4 June 2014

Do Slugs Eat Worms?

The answer is a resounding , "Yes, slugs definitely eat worms".

I know this for a fact because today on the garage forecourt, I glanced down and saw a fat slug with a large worm in two pieces, one was on the tarmac in front of the slug and the other was in the slug's mouth.

As I watched one half was slowly but surely disappearing into the slug. Prior to this if anyone had asked me this about slugs and worms, I would have said I have never seen evidence of this myself or heard of it happening.

However now after having knelt motionless in the rain watching this happening, I can categorically write, slugs do eat worms!

This begs the question of why I didn't rescue the worm or at least the uneaten half. The reason i did not rescue the worm was because one half was very firmly in the slug's mouth and the other half appeared lifeless, even when touched.

Some of you may be thinking rescue a worm, why would anyone do that?

Well, I have to admit that I do rescue worms, whenever or wherever I find them needing help. For instance waterlogged in the pond or a large puddle, I fish them out and find a quiet, shady, earthy place to lay them, gently covering them in case a passing bird finds them. Drying on a path I again move them to a safe place.

I have no objection to them being eaten by birds and moles, worms are a substantial and necessary part of their diet. In fact when gardening I will often throw a worm to a robin loitering nearby.

Worms seem to me to be a valuable creature to be treasured -- especially when they are helping to make my compost.

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About this Blog

When we moved to our present home in December 1987, I was very ill and bedridden. My garden was a life-saver, although it was very different then. The first thing I did was to put up bird-feeders, and long hours were spent lying indoors in a recliner. This was when I discovered many things. Do you know the underside of every blue tit’s tail is differently marked? Gradually, over the years, the garden changed. We put in shrubs and plants that would not only enhance the garden, but would also be good for wildlife. The first rabbit we saw was so joyful for us. The deer eat the flowers, prune the apple trees, eat the marrow, and are wonderful to watch. Foxes have been a major part of our wildlife. We have fed them each night for more than 20 years. They are such a delight, especially in late summer and early autumn when there are youngsters. They behave like puppies and are great fun to watch.

I love all wildlife: the mason bees that nest in the brickwork of the bungalow, the hornets that last year made their home in the roof above our bedroom, the bees currently nesting in the roof above the bathroom. On a hot evening, if you stand quietly in the bathroom, you can hear this amazing sound: it is very rhythmic and reminds me of the waves at the seaside. It is made by the beating of the bees’ wings as they fan their nest to keep the temperature at the right level -- how many people have heard that sound? I feel so privileged.

Obviously, I feed the birds. When I open the window in the morning I call “Come on Bobby and Blackie”, and one followed swiftly by the other they fly immediately to the bird table. Each morning, on rising, I make my way to the kitchen and find the squirrels already sitting on the window ledge waiting to be fed. Winter brings the moorhens and spring time the mallards. Our pond is a poor effort from a human point of view, but wild creatures see it differently. On summer days, the grass snakes spend long hours in the pond: eating the fish, froglets, toadlings, newts, and any other living creature they can swallow. Although I hate to see the pond emptied this way, I do enjoy the snakes and feel they are an important part of the balance of nature in the garden. Watching a dragonfly nymph climbing out of the pond, up a plant stalk, and then over the next few hours gradually transforming into a beautiful dragonfly -- these are contented hours well spent.

It has been my pleasure to write and publish a nature column each month. I am always delighted to hear how much pleasure this brings to my readers. I have often been asked if I have written a book, so I am making more of my writings and photography available through this web site and blog.