Pic and a Word #275: Future is chaos

• Manja Maksimovič

This is how I get rid of persistent thoughts about what is coming and what has been. As for the snails, I mean to study why they do this – every year but this year they exaggerate – just that I’m afraid of what I’d find out.

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Executive decision

Do you ever wonder
how cadaver dogs are trained,
elephants tamed,
horses broken,
little girls taught a lesson,
sportsmen scheduled to stumble?

Education is relative.
Growing up is murder.
Future is chaos.
Death is executive decision.

All these photos were taken in May and June this year and are set more or less in order, so that you can observe the yellowing process. Snails did this in previous years as well, but this year it’s at if they were preparing for something. There was no drought in May as you can see. It was lovely and green. And June is always yellow in this way.

ADD-IT: I’m adding the following explanation for this phenomenon, which Lynette found online. See her comment below. Thank you most kindly!

“The formation of these clusters, sometimes formed with many specimina, also called ‘grappes’, is a strategy land snails use to fight the high temperatures of the ground and the low levels of humidity in the summer. The snails climb up the stem of leafless plants or trunks so as to avoid dying of dehydration. They hold on to the vegetal substrate creating epiphragm, which can be created in about 10 minutes. During the summer months (up to four), snails remain dormant, reducing their metabolism and heartbeat to half.”

  • It starts off gently, like every year. Early May is still nice and green.
  • A meeting on the road.
  • And at home. Bestia has no opinion of snails.
  • He just lets them be.
  • What happens to our red poppies as they age.
  • They get everywhere.
  • They really seem to like this plant.
  • The same pole on May 6th.
  • On May 28th. Monte Amiata barely visible in the distance on the right.
  • And on June 9th. They are certainly going at it this year.
  • Every pole is occupied. And this is what I mean by yellow.
  • Many plants too. How do they choose which plant? Lake Burano in the back with the sea behind.
  • Never before I witnessed something like this.
  • Why are they trying to gain ground?
  • Are they having snail Olympics?
  • Why do they choose only one side? And it’s not always the same side. Sometimes there are only some…
  • Here are more…
  • And here even more. Also on the iron fence. They seem like some angry insects.
  • I’ll start to watch humble snails in a different way.
  • Or can it be that the sea is coming?

In response to Patrick Jennings’ Pic and a Word Challenge #275: Chaos

This day in my blogging history

40 thoughts on “Pic and a Word #275: Future is chaos”

  1. I have always thought snails were somewhat solitary animals. I don’t think I’ve ever seen dozens or hundreds of them all bunched together like that.

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  4. Hi MMM,

    This is by far one of your better posts. I wish I had written the poem at the beginning. Encapsulates our predicament in pithy terms. The photos were inspired. Never knew snails had a heart, one more than a lot of people. Congrats. Duke, in Old Mexico

    Liked by 2 people

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  12. We get a lot of snails in our garden – they’re the bane of my husband’s life as they eat the plants he so carefully nurtures! But I’ve never seen behaviour like this, although I seem to remember seeing small groups of snails while out on country walks. I think our garden snails are a different species however.

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  13. I’ve seen your posts of these clusters before, but this year, goodness! No wonder you thought of snail Olympics. I’m glad you posted the explanation Lynnette found. And look! I spotted Monte Amiata in your photo. Fingers crossed for a very close look at it soon. ❤

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  15. Pingback: Poetry ~ Pic and a Word Challenge #276 – Pix to Words

Happy to learn the first thing on your mind.

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