Portraits of two snails

It turns out that snails are not my specialist subject. Denzil’s Nature Photo Challenge #16 this week is all about these gastropod molluscs. And I have precisely two in my archive. The first one is my header photo. Here below is the second.

I’ve been walkabout with my camera, looking for more. But in these dry conditions – not a hope. Even the slugs have given up chewing every plant in sight.

And I can’t even name the snails I am showing you. Can anybody help?

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Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

51 thoughts on “Portraits of two snails”

  2. I threw half a dozen over the fence the other day, never thought to photograph them first. Horrible things had eaten my newly planted ipomea 😩

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  3. The first one could be a Roman Snail, and the second one could be a Brown-lipped Banded Snail – they don’t all have bands. But I know only a few species, and they could be something else altogether!

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  4. That first shot in particular is great. You raise a point for me though: snails are not exactly difficult subjects insofar as their speed means we can take our time when photographing them. And yet I know I have never once taken a picture of a snail on the move. Some creatures are more appealing than others it seems, yet all are valuable and fascinating. I shall try to get a shot of a snail. When they are out and about once again!

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  8. I’ve never even thought about different varieties of snail! I’m curious now. Snail slime was a big thing in the beauty industry not so long ago, people were shelling out quite a lot of money on it. I think snails and their slime are best left alone though.

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    1. When we were in Korea, snail slime was indeed quite the thing on the beauty counter. I avoided it however. But snails as such, no. They’re rather lovely when you inspect them

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  9. I think you must have two more snail photos than I have 🤣 Somehow I’ve never been attracted to photograph them even though, like Jude, we have plenty to choose from!

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    1. I’m getting to appreciate them more these days, understanding that they do more good than harm. Actually, some of them look rather lovely. If they reappear any time soon, I may do a portrait or two.

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      2. I direct you to Egidio’s site: https://egidio.photography/snails/ ‘As for the ecosystem, snails play a role in decomposition, nutrient cycling, and pollination. That last role was a surprise to me. I never associated snails with pollinators. Snails eat dead and decaying matter. In doing so, they release nutrients back into the soil. This helps to keep the soil healthy and productive. They absorb nutrients from the soil and plants, and then release them back into the environment when they die. This helps to keep the nutrient levels in the ecosystem balanced. Finally, their role in pollination comes into play when they help to transfer pollen from one flower to another, which allows plants to reproduce. Maybe that is what that snail was doing on top of that Mexican Hat flower.’

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