You witness life at a whole different level when you crawl around in the dirt. I was up close and personal with the camera this week, taking pictures of the flowering catnip. I turned to my left and caught sight of a snail, sliding its way up the side of a fern. I took several shots, none of which came out, of the snail’s careful journey. As the gastropod gained height, the fern slowly gave way. Up and up went the snail, down and down went the frond. Mesmerizing! Eventually the snail’s green path dropped but the gastropod, undeterred, continued its ascent. I backed up and saw the rest of his slippery group heading toward cool shelter for the day.
I felt strangely voyeuristic. Inadvertently, I stumbled upon the secret hiding place of these unwanted helix aspersa. I don’t like it when they snack on my garden, yet they seemed harmless and graceful as they slipped out of sight. A friend recently wrote an interesting blog entitled, Evolution: Escargot, Erotica, Empathy about her own awakening to the multitude of creatures that inhabit a French field.
It’s an interesting metaphor for life, I suppose: it’s easier to fear and hate what we don’t like or understand. A little knowledge goes along way to level the (French) field.
Ascent
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Great photo, they are oddly rather beautiful!
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Thank you! Agreed, you can find beauty in unexpected places. Thanks for commenting.
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What a lovely photo! You’ve captured the delicate beauty of the ascending snail so elegantly! It’s absolutely artistic! What a wonderful moment for you to stumble upon this little slice of life which is often overlooked. I’m glad you had the opportunity to observe and admire, and I like the metaphor you found while doing so. And I’m glad you’ve struck a balance in sharing your irresistible garden with these (and a few other!) creatures — you have a kind and generous heart. Thank you for mentioning my own blog, too! I promise my next gastropod post will be up soon! I’m looking forward to sharing my little snail-tale with you! : )
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A snail tale! Can’t wait. Thank you as always, for reading and commenting. I’ve been thinking about you quite a bit.
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Thank you for your thoughts. Been thinking about you, too…. I must say again how much I enjoy reading your blogs, and how they make me feel closer to you. I’m pleased to report that I used the time on my flight from Los Angeles to St. Louis to compose my snail tale. It will be posted shortly, after I tweak some photos!
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Way to go using that air time. I can’t wait to read your snail tale. Before you know it we’ll have enough to make a small snail anthology. Hee!
Isn’t it funny how blogging can bring us closer together. I love that!
Sending a warm embrace.
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