MOrning. The kids are in bed, so I’ll take your tickets and start the tout…I’m first.Croatia, one of my favourite countries.Life everywhere.Come on in, the water’s fine.We’re from Birmingham. Don’t laugh. Someone has to be.Anyone know what these are called?Kings Landing, Nouveau Brunswick.I’m not sure which is holding which up…French Alpes.Swimming Mexico style.Did I smell breakfast cooking?Find a cute slug you said… well, I’m here.I’m a Tapir, in case you were wondering.Vischering Castle, Germany.Maybe this is Trumpy’s new wall?Our old mate Yosemite.I’m a Tiger Slug. I borrowed Bet Lynch’s coat.Northumberland. Isn’t it green?I’m up now, Uncle Munguin. I’ll take over the Soppy Sunday Tour.
The slug you’ve shown in the first sluggy pic Tris is the infamous Spanish slug that you may recall I posted about a few days ago. Believe me there ain’t anything in the least bit cute about this nasty foreign invader. As a keen gardener I watch in horror as these things devour my plants. They’ve had the flowers off my daffodils this spring and they thrive despite normal predators. I have a pond full of frogs, toads living in my compost heap and am fortunate to have the equivalent of a hedgehog motorway running through my garden. It makes no difference. Slug pellets don’t work either. They breed like crazy and are hermaphrodites so mummy and daddy don’t need to love each other very much to have babies.
Spanish slugs exude a thick mucus which I learned about the hard way from picking them off plants, it just won’t come off even with white spirit. It is totally disgusting.
Once you get these in your garden things will never be the same.
Picture 7: “Anyone know what these are called?”
Even Americans (except for Trumpy maybe) are not generally so gullible as to think that Sunflowers need identification. But to honor my neighboring state of Kansas, I’ll proceed in a spirit of serious botanical pedagogy.
(With a little help from Wiki and Google,) Helianthus (or Sunflower) is a genus comprised of about 70 species in the family Asteraceae. Except for three South American species, all others are native to North America. Sunflowers come in all sizes and shapes, from modestly sized garden varieties, to giant species that grow on stalks up to 10 feet or more in height with dinner-plate-sized blooms. Most Sunflowers are yellow, but there are dark red varieties.
Early explorers and settlers on the Great Plains noted the ubiquitous wildflowers which over time became associated with the state of Kansas. The wild native sunflower was named the state flower of Kansas in 1903. Today, Kansas is known as “The Sunflower State,” which Kansans seem to prefer to “the pancake-flat dull and boring state.” An image of the sunflower appears on almost everything associated with Kansas…..including the State Flag, where it is prominently positioned above the State Seal.
A field of sunflowers can be an impressive sight, and the Helianthus Annus can reach a height of ten feet or more.
Vincent was not the only painter who did sunflowers.
You have to go to Youtube to watch FDR, but, it’s worth it.
It makes you think of Ruth Davidson complaining that services in Scotland are bad (although they are better than in England and Ireland where her party is running them) and that the Tories would do it all better… and make tax cuts at the same time.
I knew, and had grown, the kind of sunflowers that are in your pics, Danny. (although it’s always a bit of a risk here, given the winds we are inclined to get). I’ve also seen massive fields of them in Bulgaria, Turkey and France where the are called “tournesols” because the face of the flower turns to follow the sun.
But I had no idea that these straggly little fellows were of the same variety.
The fields of Kansas must be fantastically beautiful in the summer, despite their flatness…
Oh well Tris……I see you were seeking some botanical precision in the identification, and were not making a tongue-in-cheek request. I’ve seen some pretty straggly little sunflowers, but I don’t really know any one of the seventy different species from any other. The Kansas State Flower is sometimes identified as the large Helianthus Annuus, but other species may also qualify in the state flower category. These were described on a website as wild sunflowers, the little ones that grow by highways.
LOL Yep, I was serious. I honestly didn’t know that they were sunflowers, the only ones I had seen were like these fellas in Kansas… big and tall with massive flower heads.
Yea, there’s some big ones in Kansas. But also some that grow 12 to 20 inches tall in small pots or small gardens. Some species are cash crops for sunflower seed oil.
Erm.. no it’s ok, I suddenly and inexplicably don’t see slugs as a problem any more so I’ll just leave them be. Live and let live that’s my motto, if they want to eat my plants well that’s just dandy, who am I to question it?
Saying that, anyone feeling a little peckish is quite welcome to come into my garden and help themselves.
Lovely pictures, too numerous to comment. Yosemite is pretty as usual, as is Croatia; although sorting out all those Balkan countries from pre-WWI geography texts is a problem. Took me a while to figure out the “e” in Alps, but “French” was a clue.
Nice to see the slugs make an appearance in Soppy Sunday, even achieving a modest degree of cuteness. 😉 Well done!
That’s certainly the kind of southern wall that Trumpy promised his mindless minions in the presidential campaign. But after Mexico refused to pay for it, and as Congress has refused funding in appropriations bills, it appears that certain non-architectural border security measures and some repair and upgrades of existing fencing and such seems to be what he will get. He’s less than pleased about the whole thing. 😉
Oh Lord, Danny, the Balkans reminds me of the Schleswig-Holstein situation of which this can be reported:
The British statesman Lord Palmerston is reported to have said: “Only three people have ever really understood the Schleswig-Holstein business—the Prince Consort, who is dead—a German professor, who has gone mad—and I, who have forgotten all about it.”[1] (Wikipedia).
Yes, more correctly it should have been “Alps” since the word “French” was in English… if ya follow my meaning.
That wolf (or husky dug) is beautiful. Does anyone know what kind of rodent that was? Guinea pig or hamster? Those slugs were minging and as Grieg12 comments the Spanish ones are as big a pest at cats. But luckily a baby orang followed and wiped away the memory.
Tris……Maybe some American rattlers transplanted to some Scottish gardens would cause a reassessment of which one the gardeners would rather have. 😉
Note that Conan has a novel approach of how to deal with garden pests.
A very effective trap! And humane too. So little creatures can be transported to a wild location away from the house and returned to their families. My great grandparents had a small farm and never had a problem with barn mice, but their technique was less humane. They had a cat who lived a good life in the barn, and was a world class mouser.
MUNGUIN'S NEW REPUBLIC 
I see I’m not alone in thinking slugs can be handsome and graceful creatures 🙂
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Indeed… you are not.
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The flower looks like a variety of sun flower called suntastic yellow , you can find it here ,https://www.ftd.com/blog/share/types-of-sunflowers
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Thank you, Ricky 🙂
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The slug you’ve shown in the first sluggy pic Tris is the infamous Spanish slug that you may recall I posted about a few days ago. Believe me there ain’t anything in the least bit cute about this nasty foreign invader. As a keen gardener I watch in horror as these things devour my plants. They’ve had the flowers off my daffodils this spring and they thrive despite normal predators. I have a pond full of frogs, toads living in my compost heap and am fortunate to have the equivalent of a hedgehog motorway running through my garden. It makes no difference. Slug pellets don’t work either. They breed like crazy and are hermaphrodites so mummy and daddy don’t need to love each other very much to have babies.
Spanish slugs exude a thick mucus which I learned about the hard way from picking them off plants, it just won’t come off even with white spirit. It is totally disgusting.
Once you get these in your garden things will never be the same.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_slug
The other slug is fairly impressive, is I think what we would call a leopard slug in my area and is a relatively benign species in my experience.
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They sound horrific.
I was just looking for “cute” looks, when I chose him/her (both).
Can we send them back when we leave the EU?
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Picture 7: “Anyone know what these are called?”
Even Americans (except for Trumpy maybe) are not generally so gullible as to think that Sunflowers need identification. But to honor my neighboring state of Kansas, I’ll proceed in a spirit of serious botanical pedagogy.
(With a little help from Wiki and Google,) Helianthus (or Sunflower) is a genus comprised of about 70 species in the family Asteraceae. Except for three South American species, all others are native to North America. Sunflowers come in all sizes and shapes, from modestly sized garden varieties, to giant species that grow on stalks up to 10 feet or more in height with dinner-plate-sized blooms. Most Sunflowers are yellow, but there are dark red varieties.
Early explorers and settlers on the Great Plains noted the ubiquitous wildflowers which over time became associated with the state of Kansas. The wild native sunflower was named the state flower of Kansas in 1903. Today, Kansas is known as “The Sunflower State,” which Kansans seem to prefer to “the pancake-flat dull and boring state.” An image of the sunflower appears on almost everything associated with Kansas…..including the State Flag, where it is prominently positioned above the State Seal.
A field of sunflowers can be an impressive sight, and the Helianthus Annus can reach a height of ten feet or more.
Vincent was not the only painter who did sunflowers.
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PS: A bit more on Kansas sunflowers. From Kansapedia…..note “An Ode to the Kansas Sunflower.”
https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/sunflower/16899
Kansas Governor Alf Landon ran for president against FDR in 1936. He didn’t stand a chance.
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Kansapedia? Wow…
That’s impressive 🙂
You have to go to Youtube to watch FDR, but, it’s worth it.
It makes you think of Ruth Davidson complaining that services in Scotland are bad (although they are better than in England and Ireland where her party is running them) and that the Tories would do it all better… and make tax cuts at the same time.
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Tris…….Seems that politics never changes.
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I claim to be as ignorant as Trump. Wow.
I knew, and had grown, the kind of sunflowers that are in your pics, Danny. (although it’s always a bit of a risk here, given the winds we are inclined to get). I’ve also seen massive fields of them in Bulgaria, Turkey and France where the are called “tournesols” because the face of the flower turns to follow the sun.
But I had no idea that these straggly little fellows were of the same variety.
The fields of Kansas must be fantastically beautiful in the summer, despite their flatness…
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Oh well Tris……I see you were seeking some botanical precision in the identification, and were not making a tongue-in-cheek request. I’ve seen some pretty straggly little sunflowers, but I don’t really know any one of the seventy different species from any other. The Kansas State Flower is sometimes identified as the large Helianthus Annuus, but other species may also qualify in the state flower category. These were described on a website as wild sunflowers, the little ones that grow by highways.
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LOL Yep, I was serious. I honestly didn’t know that they were sunflowers, the only ones I had seen were like these fellas in Kansas… big and tall with massive flower heads.
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Yea, there’s some big ones in Kansas. But also some that grow 12 to 20 inches tall in small pots or small gardens. Some species are cash crops for sunflower seed oil.
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I’ve found a solution to the slug problem…
http://feralfood.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/for-sarah-and-anybody-else-who-is.html
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I suspect the French are behind this. They eat escargot. Can slugs be far behind?
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Very English thing to do, Danny… blame the French. 🙂
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LOL!
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Ye gads…
Eeeek…
And other such exclamations. 🙂
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Erm.. no it’s ok, I suddenly and inexplicably don’t see slugs as a problem any more so I’ll just leave them be. Live and let live that’s my motto, if they want to eat my plants well that’s just dandy, who am I to question it?
Saying that, anyone feeling a little peckish is quite welcome to come into my garden and help themselves.
Knock yourselves out, as they say in America.
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Pass!
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Lovely pictures, too numerous to comment. Yosemite is pretty as usual, as is Croatia; although sorting out all those Balkan countries from pre-WWI geography texts is a problem. Took me a while to figure out the “e” in Alps, but “French” was a clue.
Nice to see the slugs make an appearance in Soppy Sunday, even achieving a modest degree of cuteness. 😉 Well done!
That’s certainly the kind of southern wall that Trumpy promised his mindless minions in the presidential campaign. But after Mexico refused to pay for it, and as Congress has refused funding in appropriations bills, it appears that certain non-architectural border security measures and some repair and upgrades of existing fencing and such seems to be what he will get. He’s less than pleased about the whole thing. 😉
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Trump as King of Hades.
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How true, Conan.
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Oh Lord, Danny, the Balkans reminds me of the Schleswig-Holstein situation of which this can be reported:
The British statesman Lord Palmerston is reported to have said: “Only three people have ever really understood the Schleswig-Holstein business—the Prince Consort, who is dead—a German professor, who has gone mad—and I, who have forgotten all about it.”[1] (Wikipedia).
Yes, more correctly it should have been “Alps” since the word “French” was in English… if ya follow my meaning.
Poor old Trump and his poor old wall.
My heart bleeds.
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Tris…..Sounds like Lord Palmerston had the status of the Schleswig-Holstein thing all figured out. 🙂
You always learn something new on Munguin’s Republic. The French spell Alps as Alpes.
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Well, he had, but he’d forgotten it…
Yes. I liven for a while outside Grenoble, in the foothills of Les Alpes. I could see the mountains clearly from my balcony … fabulous.
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That wolf (or husky dug) is beautiful. Does anyone know what kind of rodent that was? Guinea pig or hamster? Those slugs were minging and as Grieg12 comments the Spanish ones are as big a pest at cats. But luckily a baby orang followed and wiped away the memory.
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I thought he or she was a Hamster, but it is a Guinea Pig!
Sorry about the slugs…
The baby has a very cute tongue!
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Tris…..I’m still sensing some anti-slug prejudice here. More than we experienced with the American rattlesnakes it seems.
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Danny… American Rattlers don’t eat Scottish pants!
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Tris, a true Scotsman wouldn’t be wearing any “pants”! That’s an l of a typo 🙂
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Ouch…
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Tris……Maybe some American rattlers transplanted to some Scottish gardens would cause a reassessment of which one the gardeners would rather have. 😉
Note that Conan has a novel approach of how to deal with garden pests.
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Point made… still, they would get rid of the cats!
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We can’t have that.
https://www.thedailymeal.com/recipes/southern-fried-rattlesnake-recipe
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Skinned and cleaned… what are they, some sort of sissies?
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What about oiled live mice?
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A very effective trap! And humane too. So little creatures can be transported to a wild location away from the house and returned to their families. My great grandparents had a small farm and never had a problem with barn mice, but their technique was less humane. They had a cat who lived a good life in the barn, and was a world class mouser.
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So he rescued these mice and now he’s gonna make film stars out of them… Nice one.
Well much nicer than a cat!!!!
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Tris……Almost anything is nicer for a mouse than a cat……LOL.
I just hope that the Hollywood celebrity lifestyle doesn’t bring them down. 😉
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Drink, drugs, wild parties, sex. I dunno…
Mind you, Jerry did alright out of it…
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Jerry was an inspiration to us all……LOL.
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A star who truly knew how to behave … 🙂
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