Trails of Slime, Everywhere!

One evening, very soon after we moved here, Chad and I were walking along Clear Creek Trail. We had done it a few times by this point - so it was nothing special... or so we thought!

Chad was looking around, I was looking at the ground, and all the sudden I got really angry - angry at all those dog owners who refuse to pick up after their dogs! What the heck! Leaving gooey poops right in the middle of the path! What is wrong with people!!

Then Chad looked down. He didn't see any poops - he saw HUGE SLUGS!

 Tell me that doesn't look like a poop!

These things were entire inches long! Almost an inch thick! Some green-ish, some brown, some with stripes. The biggest, most awesome slugs I have ever seen!

So that's when the obsession started - I needed to know what it was called, why it was so big, where they are usually found. This is what my research uncovered:

  * Its a Banana Slug - Ariolimax columbiana - named after a compound of two Greek-derived words for slugs

  * They grow up to 6 - 8 inches long, variable in color from yellow to drab green-brown, some with darker spots.

  * Like snails, they have two tentacles on their head, which tapers to a long body and pointed tail.

  *This species, the Olympic species occupies forests from western Oregon north to southwestern Alaska.

  * They live in damp, lowland forests.

  * They eat a variety of plant and animal foods: lichens, leaves (including those of poison oak), mushrooms, animal carcasses and droppings.

HOW COOL IS THAT!? Though... apparently I am the only one who thinks this around here... Most people hate them... BUT! There has to be, at least, a small constituent of slug lovers - because at this little store on the Bremerton  pier they sell little glass banana slug figurines (though... they are probably for tourists...)! Awwww, I love this place.