Spent the past few days doing biological fieldwork in the Tsitika valley, about five hours north of Victoria on Vancouver Island. The trip was amazing. Overhead the sun was scorching and we were surrounded on all sides by snow- topped mountains.

Saw enough wildlife to feel as though I were on an ecotour: 3 Black Bears (one only 20 m away from me), Bald Eagles, Ruffed grouse, Roosevelt Elk, Black-tailed Deer, Red-tailed Hawks, North Western Salamander and Pacific Tree Frog egg masses, Blue Grouse, and... a baby Banana Slug!

Banana slugs are one of the most beautiful animals, if you take the time to get to know them. They are the second largest slugs in the world and can grow up to 25 cm long. As well, they play an important role in the forest as decomposers, dispersers of fungi and seeds, and as a food source for other creatures.

I'll leave you with this:
Q: "What did the slug say as he slipped down the wall?"
A: "How slime flies!"

-Alix