I've lived in Northern Utah almost my entire life. Even though it's been a long time ago, I remember growing up and playing in the yard, in the dirt, in the weeds. I remember having to do yard work each spring and summer. One thing I don't remember is having snails and slugs around.
I don't know when things changed, but for the past 20 or 30 years, we've had to deal with the invading Gastropoda. You try poisons, physically removing them, even smashing them (worst thing to do...), and no matter what you do, they keep coming back.
When we moved even more north a few years ago, one thing we noticed was the lack of the snails and slugs. That changed Wednesday. As I was cleaning dog poop from the backyard, I noticed something slimy. I thought it was a worm, but upon closer inspection, it was a slug.
I guess the snail-less and slug-less days are over.
Since I've not done any formal research or spoken to anyone who knows more about the subject that I do, I have no idea if they've been here the whole time and it's just recently I spotted one, or if they're new addition to the ecosystem. I don't even know if they're beneficial or not. All I know is, growing up they didn't exist in our area, then they're everywhere.
I fear the pattern is starting anew.
Bummer.
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