An "image makeover" campaign is urging gardeners to reevaluate the slugs' and snails' place in the garden.Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust (HMWT) aim to dispel misconceptions.
According to the organizers, Making Friends with Molluscs would "arm people with facts" and demonstrate the beneficial role that these creatures play in ecosystems.The trust described them as "nature's clean-up crew."
The campaign's organizers are hoping that gardeners would become more eco-conscious if they can teach them to "appreciate and co-exist" with slugs and snails.
The majority of the around 150 species of mollusks in the UK contribute favorably to the ecosystem, and just a small fraction of those species cause problems for gardeners, according to the trust.
Their diet consists of decomposing vegetation, fungus, and manure, which they then use to replenish soil nitrogen, nutrients, and minerals.
In addition to being a component of the diet of hedgehogs, they are an important source of nutrition for frogs, thrushes, and ground beetles.
Thus, the trust argued, mollusks indirectly support a wide variety of animals."Live harmoniously alongside slugs and snails" is the motto of a handbook that the trust and the RHS collaborated on.
For example, you can build habitats that discourage them from visiting your vegetable gardens, or you can plant hydrangeas and lavender, which are less appealing to them or more resistant to their feeding habits.
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