Invasive species

This is my ode to the garden snail, a creature that is a current constant in my life, due to the fact that we are still having spring rains here in Berkeley. In fact, we've had 131% our normal rainfall this year so far (source: Weather Underground), and I am bound by my drought-training to utter a hallelujah.  But, even so, it's tough to embrace the joy when I walk outdoors in the morning and see these intrepid mollusks gliding across my garden making their slimy ways to my tender plants.

According to UC's Agriculture and Natural Resources Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program, "The brown garden snail, Cornu aspersum (formerly Helix aspersa), is the most common snail causing problems in California gardens. It was introduced from France during the 1850s for use as food." In other words, these puppies are escargots!

For citrus growers, ANR recommends these approaches:
a) pruning "tree shirts"
b) copper foil
c) predatory decollate snails and
d) ducks (!)

The vision of a flock of ducks in amongst the orange or lemon trees is really quite delightful, don't you think? On the other hand, introducing a new batch of decollate snails (these ones are from Egypt) to deal with the old batch of snails just sounds just plain goofy. Oh, and, if they aren't getting enough escargots, they will eat your plants too.

So, the ANR has an alternative set of instructions for the hapless home gardener.
a) handpicking
b) trapping (in beer, especially)
c) copper foil
d) poisonous bait (yuck!)

This hapless home gardener does two things: first, I put cocoa-hull compost around all my vegetable plants. Snails and slugs don't like to crawl across the scratchy surface. As a bonus, when the compost begins to degrade, it forms a crust, which tends to dissuade the neighborhood cats from using my raised beds as kitty litter boxes.

My second plan of action is the recommended handpicking. It is slightly gross, I have to admit--better with gloves. I tend to toss the buggers into the street where they are crushed by passing cars and bikes. Like I said, it's gross.

Now, I started this rant with the claim that it was an ode to the garden snail. It's time to offer the following meditation:

What is an invasive species, really? According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, an "invasive species" is defined as a species that is

1) non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and
2) whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. (Executive Order 13112)." The definition goes on to say, "Human actions are the primary means of invasive species introductions."

So, humans introduce a new species to an environment, and if it causes environmental or human harm, it is invasive. Let's see... As I mentioned once before, my brother and I participated in a genetic testing project revealing that our ancient forbears had traveled from Africa to Asia and then Europe, like most Caucasians. In fact, the march of early humans out of Africa involved them introducing themselves to new environments, causing environmental damage and damage to each other over and over again. Indeed, we continue to do it today, don't we?

I need a new bumper sticker: Invasive species: it takes one to know one!