During one of my hikes, I saw what looked like a skull lying in a field. When I got closer, I realized it was a giant puffball mushroom being eaten by a slug. As I stood there pondering this spooky spectacle, the thought occurred to me that there must be a Halloween nature story here. At least, the photo of this skull-like puffball should get some attention in the Insider.
Slugs love mushrooms, especially giant puffballs. They are voracious eaters and can consume several times their weight every day. While they are despised by gardeners, they do perform a role in our ecosystem by aiding in the decomposition of organic matter. Also, in the food chain, slugs are eaten by frogs, toads, salamanders, turtles and birds. They are a favorite treat for garter snakes.
When you study slugs more closely, you will discover that they have some amazing features. They can stretch 20 times their normal length and can crawl on a sheer surface like glass. Each inpidual slug has both male and female reproductive systems, and after two slugs mate, each will lay eggs that can remain in the soil several years while waiting for the right conditions to hatch.
Slugs are mollusks with an internal shell. They are gastropods which mean they have their stomach in their foot. Their protection is the slimy mucus they produce, making it difficult for predators to grasp them. You may have seen the slime trail they leave which enables mates to find each other.
Mainly nocturnal, slugs have two large front retractable tentacles that are light sensitive and can enable them to distinguish between day and night. Their rasping mouth has thousands of backward-pointing replaceable teeth. They must have a moist environment and will retreat to damp hiding places during dry weather.
The banana slug, which is bright yellow, can grow to eight inches and is the mascot, named Sammy, for the University of California in Santa Cruz.
I stopped in at Ballard's Costumes on Broadway in Concord and I asked Norm Ballard if he had the mask of a slug.
“Who wants to be a slug?” he replied, and the tone of his voice implied the answer would certainly be “No one.” Then, with a sweep of his arm, he let me know he had plenty of other masks that were smartly displayed on shelf after shelf.
I asked if any one has ever requested the mask of a slug before. He said, “This will be my 31st Halloween in this business, and I have never had anyone ask for the mask of a slug.”
“Although we rent and sell costumes year round, Halloween is our busiest season,” he said. While I was talking to him between customers, (business was picking up) he showed a genuine interest in my questions.
“What will be the most popular mask you will sell this Halloween?” I asked.
He paused for a moment to think about it, then replied:
“I would have to say I sell more masks that represent an old man than any other mask.”
I wonder if anyone will ever come up with the mask of a slug; preferably, an old slug.
