*Baby Harry Update*

Harry's luxury apartment

John from 'Sedgedunum Warbler' (visit his blog here) was enquiring after Harry's health so I thought this was a good time to do an update. The little chap is thriving. You can see his temporary home in the photo above, on the shelf in my computer room (aka spare room) amongst all the little knick-knacks that don't belong anywhere else.


Harry has a shallow layer of compost in his jar that he can burrow in if he wants. In the wild, snails need to burrow for various reasons, e.g. to lay their eggs, to avoid predators and to keep out of the heat, etc. I've been renewing the compost regularly and also gently spraying the sides of the jar with lukewarm water to keep Harry's home slightly humid and comfortable for him.


I have to make sure that the pieces of food that I put in for him are cut thinly so as not to crush him! He has a slice of cucumber just now which I'll replace today with some apple. The most important thing Harry will need while he's lodging with us is cuttlefish. He needs this for the calcium it will provide to help his shell grow big and strong, and for his general health. In the wild, snails get calcium and other minerals from the soil.

The man himself, fast asleep

Here's Harry fast asleep on the side of his jar...... and when I glanced round, he'd woke up. The little black squiggle near his tail is snail poop, perhaps the reason for his arousal from sleep! :O)

Good morning Harry

"Where's me grub?"

...... and here he is speeding towards the cucumber. This will provide him with both food and water.

Baby Harry will stay with us until he's a toddler and much bigger than he is now. By that time the early morning frosts should have gone and he can be introduced to the great outdoors. I will need to find a safe place to put him where he wont be trampled on or spotted by a Thrush..... but that's a while off yet and, meanwhile, it's lovely to have another gastropod guest. It brings back fond memories of Henry.

He's still breakfasting on the cucumber...... that's ma boy! :D

Meet Harry, the baby Gastropod

Harry

Earlier this afternoon I tidied and trimmed the foliage on one of the plants in our kitchen. As I began to wipe the worktop I noticed this little fella. Thank goodness I did or he would have been one squashed little gastropod! That's not my finger pointing to him in the photo by the way.... it's a slice of carrot with bits of compost sticking to it. :O) The plant I had been tidying was one I'd grown myself from seed so I think little Harry must have hatched from an egg in the compost. I'll have to keep a sharp look-out for lots of other little Harry's! After escaping a grizzly death, there was no way I could put him outside in the freezing cold, with the remnants of this week's snow still evident and an impending night frost. The little soul measures less than a centimetre long. So he's now safely ensconced in a jam-jar with some compost to bury himself in, bits of carrots and cucumber to eat and, don't worry, I put lots of miniscule air holes in the lid to keep his oxygen supply fresh. I'll look after him until the weather is milder and it's safe to put him outside. I'll have to harden him off like a plant!

Red Clover, Self-heal & Bird's-foot-trefoil

Not so long ago I got some wildflower seeds. I set these ones away on the 9th of February and it didn't take them long to germinate after having spent a few days in the propagator. Below are photos (taken from the web) of how they will look in flower.

Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris)

This is a beautiful perennial wildflower and a member of the Mint family. It was once used as a herbal remedy for throat complaints because it is aromatic and astringent. In fact, it became known as Self-heal because people once believed it was a holy herb able to cure all sorts of diseases in humans and animals. It's a common meadow flower and the plants I raise will be planted in our lawn to add colour and to provide food for bees and butterflies.

Bird's-foot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)

Another common perennial wildflower (a member of the Pea family), Bird's-foot-trefoil got its name because, after flowering, the seed pods are arranged in a bird's foot pattern. It is also known as 'bacon and eggs', represented by the vivid orange and yellow of its flowers. It provides abundant nectar, each flower supplying enough for several visits for foraging bees, butterflies and other insects. This little plant will also go into our lawn, but on the edges where it will not be smothered by the grass as it is not a competitive plant.

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

Red clover is also a member of the Pea family, a perennial and is a good provider of food for bees, butterflies and other insects. This plant wont go in my lawn as it grows up to 2 feet tall (60 cms). I have white clover for that purpose. The red will be planted in groups round the garden where we can easily see them and where we can hear the buzzing of all the bees that are going to visit. The leaves can be added to salads as they contain Vitamins C and B, Magnesium, Zinc, Copper, Selenium, Chlorine and Calcium so it's a good all-round plant to have for the benefits and beauty.

So that's what I've been up to and now I'd better check on baby Harry!