Astroblog: Roadtrip diaries

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Roadtrip diaries

This afternoon we went down to the beach, the rising Moon glowed over the historic buildings of Semaphore while the setting sun turned the clouds into a blaze of fire. Sadly, these same clouds have frustrated my attempts to image Saturn tonight.

Anyway, I've written up some astro-highlights from my Christmas trip, and I'll share them with you over the next few days. This very un astronomical image is from the very start of the trip. In a paddock in the middle of nowhere (on a farmstay where we overnighted) all the fence posts were crowned with snails. Why? Is it some mass snail suicide pact? A free snail cafeteria for passing birds? The surrounding paddocks where dry (there was a dam at one end, but this was pretty far form the dam). Any ideas?

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:00 pm

Comments:

Hmmmm call in the kids! We eat GOOD tonight! :)

# posted by

Anonymous : 9:25 am

Could they be estivating?

# posted by

Anonymous : 11:02 am

Tom, I had to look up what estivate meant. From a search of the Internet it looks as though you may be correct. Apparently fence posts are 'juicy' and good for breeding.

# posted by

Anonymous : 11:20 am

Blimmin heck, they are estivating white snails! The grains council website shot of fence posts is almost identical to mine. Thanks fior that info folks!

# posted by