Don’t let children near these pink beads in the garden under any circumstances – they are not harmless.
That morning we were in the garden, enjoying the silence and the sun. While exploring the bushes, my daughter suddenly stopped, fascinated by something strange attached to the stem of a plant.
It was a mass of little pink beads, perfectly lined up, shiny and almost cute. She reached out, curious, ready to touch them…
Luckily, I intervened in time. What we saw was neither a decoration nor a strange fruit, it was something else… something that you don’t see every day and that shouldn’t end up in the hands of a child.
Instinctively, I knew it was best not to touch it. There was something too strange about this perfectly ordered mass… So I took out my phone, took a photo and sent it to a friend who is into botany and natural history.
A few minutes later he answered me very clearly:
“Do not let children near this under any circumstances.”
Later he called and explained that it was actually… We regretted that we had come close to it.
I eventually discovered that it was Pomacea canaliculata, a snail native to South America.
Its appearance here, in the very heart of our forest, was unexpected: this species is known to be invasive.
Through conversations with a conservation organization, I learned that the bright pink color comes from carotenoids in their shells, a natural defense against predators.
I watched with interest as the little ants approached and attacked the weakened eggs. A real microenvironment in motion.
Despite its invasive status, I’ve come to feel a certain admiration for this quiet creature.
His methodical ritual, repeated every day, touched me. It was a reminder that life is often built in details and invisible labor.
Since then, I’ve been coming back every morning to check if it’s passed.
Sometimes I find new eggs, sometimes just a trace of his movement. But I always leave a little more delighted.
