Slugging it out
Unlike the sodden summer of 2017, this year’s heatwave was hardly ideal for slugs in Britain. But now, thanks to early autumn rain, malacologists – like the softbodied molluscs they study – are back in their element. One of our most impressive slugs is the 15cmlong great grey, also known as the leopard slug. Hunt for this spotted beauty in damp corners and under dead wood or logs, or scan your flower beds with a torch on a wet evening. It eats rotting matter and fungi, not living plants.