Snails???

[Mr Ming]

Afternoon all, I was wondering if anyone had ever seen anything like this before, an ash tree covered in snails? We were moving machinery from one part of the woods to another, I had been dropped off to collect the van and had walked the last section back alongside a little shelter belt woodland when I noticed said tree.

 

Most of the shells were empty but a few still had something in. It was the only tree i notice in the belt with any snails on too.

 

Any ideas?

 

sorry for the low quality pictures, I only had my phone on me at the time.

 

James

[teepeeat]

snailfest ?????? :lol:

 

new one on me??

[tree monkey]

gone up the tree so they dont drown in the waterlogged ground

[fergusonforestry]

not seen that many on one tree before but have noticed a huge increase in the number of them this year

[Stubby]

I think there was a snails convention that week .

[Mr Ming]

not seen that many on one tree before but have noticed a huge increase in the number of them this year

 

When I mentioned it to one of my colleagues, what I had seen he said that he's noticed more snail round this year, but when I showed him the picture his response was, "Oh..... not that many"

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Right then!

 

My guesses

 

Its been a long wet summer, good season for the old snails and slugs!

 

They climb trees to eat the algea on the bark, if the weather turns dry they find a stone or other smooth surface and suck down and seal their shells shut to conserve moisture, if no rain comes they dessicate and die in that state