Guess what’s sitting on top of the filter pipe, in the middle of the pond? asked my husband, as he looked out of the kitchen window.
A frog I replied, a toad, a bird, a newt -running out of ideas…. no, he said -a snail!
How is that possible -the pipe is in the centre of the pond, it is 2 inches above the level of the water, as you can see in the photo.
The pond is permanently netted, to prevent herons from eating our carp (only 4 left and they are OAPs)
There are a couple of supporting wires, which travel the length of the pond.
The snail couldn’t have travelled over the net, its close weave wouldn’t allow him to drop through. Could it have used the net and travelled along upside down? Completed a high wire act above the water? Or did it swim or abseil to the pipe? Or has it tucked away somewhere a small inflatable?
Notice the pile of poo beside the snail, indicating that it has been sitting there for a while!
I must be getting soft, as rather than use my snail priest, i.e. my foot…. I had to admire its adventurous spirit and ingenuity in managing to reach the pipe in the first place, so it was flung into the farmer’s field, allowing it time to plan, its next adventure more carefully.
Maggie Duguid
Text and photos by Maggie Duguid, who is a member of the HPS North East Group.
