Snails... The Clean Up Crew

Snails...

The Clean Up Crew

It's summertime ~ hot lazy days in the southern humidity with

much to blog about but in somewhat of a blogging rut.

Awaiting pictures from the fun filled bachelorette weekend.

Solving last minute wedding ordeals (truly, ordeals...).

Working at the village ~ with all that cool old stuff & all the talented gals.

Hosting Pampered Chef Events & Bash for Cash Days.

Growing Vegetables in the Village Shack Garden Pit.

Getting ready for a Parking Lot Sale on Saturday...

All that & I chose to introduce you to our

Clean Up Crew...

Snails

Do you see the two little ones hard at work on the interior walls of the trough we call the patio pond. They have done a remarkable job with algae control. Seeming so content as they glide along. I've never thought much about a Snail

until our pond adventure began.

Trapdoor snails are scavengers that consume fish food, fish waste & algae in ponds to help keep them clean not green. We've been through the green stage and its a whole lot more enjoyment when the water is clean & clear. In the picture above you can see Freckle, a fancy speckled goldfish to the left of the bubble in the water. Sometimes the fish play with the snails and knock them from their jobs cleaning the walls. Most times they leave them to their work with no cause for disruption. Our darling clean up crew goes everywhere they wish ~ I have even found them outside the pond on the plants. Three in all. Two larger snails and one sort of small one. Some say there is a need for more in our size puddle with fish ~ but three seems like a fabulous number to me.
Maybe its really not that bad being a snail ~ living the aquatic life with fish, a tadpole & plants. Seems pretty simplistic to me.

It's pretty easy to get snails in pond pictures but the fish... not so photogenic. Marmalade is the lone koi (the orange one) living with the snails, a tadpole, fancy goldfish & black moor (yes, the fish all have names). I found her outside the pond on Monday evening ~ thankfully after a rain shower on the concrete floor. She was getting splashed by a few drops from the fountain. Mr. Hag gently picked her up and put her back in the water ~ amazing, no signs of distress and doing well after her jump outside sure glad we were home when she leaped.

Pond snails are said to play an important role in the ponds ecosystem. They are

mother nature's way of keeping natural bodies of water clean for millions of years. Now,

realizing that our delightful little puddle isn't a natural body of water by any means that's one more reason we need these shelled additions. They have a rough tongue designed for scraping algae and other vegetation off everything they crawl across. They breathe through gills just like fish. They move by contracting muscles in a strong flat foot under their shells. These muscles create a rippling movement that pushes the snail on his way.

I'll think about all the benefits of those somewhat cute and always productive

Trapdoor Snails again tomorrow while enjoying morning coffee beside the patio pond.

While I'm pondering something fun and creative to post to get back in the swing.

~one vintage hag