Meet Herman. He (or she!) is a Leopard slug that lived in one of our compost bins all last Summer. I hope life has been treating him well wherever he may be now, since the bin was emptied in the Autumn. This is the view I get when I take off the lid and look down into the bin. Click on the photograph to see Herman in his full glory.
And here he is sticking his tongue out at me!
I'm looking forward to mid-Summer when the temperature inside the compost bins really hots up and the myriad of beasties that live in them thrive. Lifting off the lid, it's like a scene from a Hammer Horror film..... hundreds of flies emerge and hover at the surface and below, there are masses of wriggling writhing worms, as well as species of creatures too small for the eye to see. Herman was one of my favourites though and I looked forward to seeing him on my daily trip to the compost bin. I'm sure he used to wait to greet me to see what fresh goodies I was bringing him! I will equally look forward to meeting his offspring this coming season.
All of these weird and wonderful beasties are welcome in our compost bins. They do an efficient job of breaking down the kitchen waste and producing humus rich soil for our garden.
All of these weird and wonderful beasties are welcome in our compost bins. They do an efficient job of breaking down the kitchen waste and producing humus rich soil for our garden.
(Leopard Slugs are also known as Tiger Slugs and The Great Grey Slug).
