The rainstorm we had last night provided me a good opportunity to take stock of the current slug population. From my observations, it seems last year's adults have all died off. What we have now are juveniles and babies (Lehmannia valentiana). On the other hand, it looks like many of the marsh slugs (Deroceras laeve) have already reached adulthood.
In other news, we found a dead female house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) in the backyard this morning. She appeared to have been stunned, perhaps by flying into the porch awning. She lay with her wings partially extended, which doesn't indicate illness, but shock. My mom temporarily put her out of reach of the dogs, in a patch of clover, where some tiny red ants and a couple juvenile slugs (L. valentiana) investigated the body. I then buried her among the azaleas in the front yard. That place is becoming a sort of "pet sematary" for dead animals we find. Hopefully none of them will rise again to haunt us! But seriously, it's always difficult to encounter death, even in nature. Yet God gives us hope:
The Lord spoke through Asaph in Psalm 50:10-11, "For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine."
Jesus said, "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matt. 6:26)
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