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Leopard slugs

FireFire Posts: 19,096
in Wildlife gardening
Hi, I have lots of these slugs in my garden. I am trying to ID them as leopard slugs (or not). Limax maximus.
These are supposed to be the gardeners' friend in that they eat other slugs and dead matter only. But there do seem to be quite a few grey, UK spotty slugs. Leopards seem often to be as stripey as spotty, or more so. More images here.

I have been leaving the ones in my garden, but I do see them on my plants, and they are pretty huge. Lots out tonight. Does anyone else see them and leave them on their veg?





Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I leave them alone too. We see them mainly in the compost heap and in the wilder areas. I've never seen them on the veg patch. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Thanks.
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    edited June 2018
    I don't know if this is true, but I have read that it's the small slugs that do the most damage to plants. I always wondered, well, what do the big ones eat, then?  Now I know - other slugs.  Perhaps I should stop putting the big slugs in the compost bin, start giving them names and playing with them.
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    We had one of them a baby in the living room yesterday.. I put it back outside. The leopards do not seem to do any damage, just eating dead things.
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