Aestivating Escargots

Throughout much of southern, western and northern France, when the weather is dry, you may notice tiny snails strung around plants and posts like pearl necklaces. They are particularly abundant at the coast, but also inland up the Loire Valley. They are Striped Snails Cernuella virgata (Fr. Caragouille globeuse) and they are aestivating, choosing tall plants like the big umbellifers and teasels or wooden fence posts.

Striped Snails (mostly) on a post on Ile de Ré.

When it rains a thin film of algae grows on the plant stems or fence posts. The snails, which up to this point have been lurking about at ground level, climb up to feast on the algae, but once the sun comes out and dries everything out they are trapped. In order to survive and not dessicate they produce a papery seal of mucus and stick themselves to the stem to wait out the dry spell. Being elevated from the ground makes a significant difference to the temperature they have to deal with too, with the ground being hotter than up on a plant. Once it rains again they can move on, restore their moisture levels and get back to grazing and gaining weight.

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