How do you find Anguispira alternata

[seastar]

Hi everyone,

Spring has finally come for good! For summer, I was thinking about getting a few new species, especially Anguispira alternata. I've made some research about them, some people have been very nice by answering to my questions on another thread, but now, I am wondering; has anyone ever found Anguispira alternata in Montreal, Quebec? I ask this because if I get two Anguispira alternata and they get eggs, if I can't free them, my parents (especially my father) will have a heart attack (almost, because when I've told them about my project, they were like, will you be able to free the babies?)!

So, I was thinking about looking for some in Mont Royal natural park. And that's where the real question comes; how do you look for them? Are they as easy to find as Cepaea, or you have to remove dirt or dead leaves, look on trees and under rocks? If you own some, even if you don't live in Montreal, how did you find your Anguispira alternata?

If I can't find any, I was thinking about getting Cepaea hortensis (or maybe getting some even if I can find Anguispira alternata, though it's not sure at all). I have to discuss with my parents with this!

And there's one last thing; I'd like to share a very weird dream. I was cleaning up the house with my family, and then, I've found an old, dirty bag with a living Anguispira alternata in it! Then, when I got outside, I looked in the bush in front of the house, and there was another one! I can't remember the rest, but it was SOOO weird!

Thank you if you share about how you've found Anguispira alternata!

seastar

[seastar]

I'm asking this so that I'll be ready when I go snail hunting, and if other people wonder how to look for Anguispira too, they'll be able to by reading this!

[Liguus]

I haven't heard of any being in Montreal, but they are in nearby rural areas of Ottawa and in Vermont, so their range should extend a bit into Montreal. (obviously if you can get to the Ottawa area your results may be more fruitful).

They like to bury a bit under the soil, or hide under logs/rocks, so flipping those is a good way to find them. The absolute best way is to wait for a rainy day and then go walking around a forest immediately after the rain has finished. One very interesting thing that I saw on a rainy day snail hunt in 2014 (too bad I didn't take a pic or video) was a single tree stump with 15-20 Anguispira on it. Didn't seem to be anything else like that in the area, just a distribution of Mesodon and Mesomphix.

[seastar]

Thanks! I'll definitely try that!