Chocolate Slugs

This spring in Gibsons has been unusually damp with 10cm (4") of rainfall in one month. Deer Fern's garden are lush and magnificent. We have seen an influx of slugs this year as well. I have spent a few mornings, with my nose to the ground, scouring the grounds for slugs, almost all of them are brown, very large, about 8cm (3").

I don't consider myself a gardener, I am 'one who keeps the forest floor tidy'. And with that thought, I know my forest floor intimately. When something is out of place, it catches my eye for investigation. I credit this talent to my friend Ann. She has taught me to be observant, cherish and appreciate the small things in life, especially nature, in all forms.

No bigger than basketball, this one day old Mule Deer fawn sits on our slopped bank, hidden amongst New Zealand grass and Heavenly bamboo. The chances of seeing this are once in a lifetime. This is our second chance, two years in a row. If it wasn't for Ann and chocolate slugs, I may have never had this pleasure.