In praise of… slugs

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/23/in-praise-of-slugs

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When children eat their greens, we cheer. When other animals hanker after salad, we condemn them to death. In almost every garden across the land, a silent war is waged against the slugs, enjoying the wet and the warm. Some succumb to pellets, others lose themselves in booze, scores suffocate in the bin. While the birds, butterflies and bees who enjoy our plants are a source of pride, slugs are fair game for fear, loathing and extermination. Yet these are miracles of evolution, which can turn hermaphrodite, and even amputate appendages, should the need arise. They're naturally gentle and gregarious – remarkable qualities, given the massed ranks of their predators. They've even got a certain beauty: consider the russet sheen of the round-back, the delicate creaminess of the agriolimax reticulatus. The link between their bodies and excretions is our invention, not their fault. The next time a slug admiringly eyes your lettuce, let it have its fill.