The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Banana slug

  • 5 of the Best Places to Find the Beloved Banana Slug

    Finding these fellas may seem easy, but when you want to find a ton of friends, there are specific places to go. This is your ticket to finding the most majestic creatures you’ve ever seen. This is your journey to find banana slugs.

    1. Blackberry bushes are your number one place. These wonderful fruit bushes don’t just give a tasty treat to us, but to the slugs as well! These cuties love to hang out around the bushes and eat the berries, or just take a nap! Feel free to feed them blackberries if you hold them and they’ll become your best friend! There are many blackberry bushes on the trails behind the HSU campus, and the slugs are friendly to kind students.
    2. Skunk Cabbage. I went on a random adventure and came across a large field of skunk cabbage. It was INFESTED with slugs! I spotted hundreds and hundreds. It was a sight to see, and I only wish Van Gogh had painted this scene. These slugs are vibrant creatures, but love to hide under leaves. Look around! You’ll begin to spot them easily.
    3. Redwood tree nooks are one of their favorite spots. They love hiding in the forest in any nooks and crannies they can find. Often, if there are holes or burrows in trees, you’ll find them. Luckily, redwoods surround Humboldt County, so opportunities for finding one of these fellas are plentiful.
    4. Redwood National Park, just an hour from campus, is an easy place to find banana slugs, but you have to look a little harder if it’s too cold. These creatures love to dance in the rain and slime over mushrooms, but get cold just like you or me!
    5. Of course, your own backyard is one of the best places to find these munchers. They love to eat your garden vegetables, and who blames them? Your tomatoes and lettuce are delish! Remember to be kind if you are removing these creatures. They are simply living off the land!
  • Hot gossip: Banana slug Edition

    Hot gossip: Banana slug Edition

    In my eyes the world is yellow and full of slime, but guess what? I love it! Welcome to the official fangirl column for banana slugs. Who knew this even existed?

    Here’s the hottest gossip of the slug world. Prepare yourself for some hot hot tea.

    The Slug Queen Deidre has been accused of interacting with a snake, having a near death experience but survived. She was awarded a badge of survival. Congratulations. Bow down to the slug queen!

    Jen and Thomas Slugs were found eating blackberries after curfew! Scandalous! Luckily they were not seen by predators and only by the slug guards.

    Gabe and Anthony Slugs were found to have helped write an article in the Lumberjack Newspaper with humans! Dun dun duhhhhhh!

    Skylar and Justin Slugs just announced their discovery of a new food: it’s called a banana peel and they were scared of it at first when a human dropped it, but eventually tasted it. These chefs are now introducing the recipes to restaurants around Northern California! Bon Appetit!

    Dakota, Elliott, and Sophia slugs were caught skydiving off a redwood with leaves as parachutes. The slugs below watched as these adventurers made history.

    Dobby and Becca Slugs discovered a human who liked to say hello and moved them out of the way of walking humans. Oh wait! I am that human.

    Poppy, Gabrielle, Whitney, Matt, Elizabeth and Kiera Slugs were all found on the same log having a photoshoot. They are on the cover of Slug Weekly.

    Brianne, Sam, Joseph and Ian Slugs were seen out at the beach enjoying the sun but didn’t go to the salt water. What a fun day!

    That’s it folks, the hottest slug gossip for the week. Tune in next week for more banana slug tea! But not actual tea because that’s disgusting and cruel and well, very slimy.

  • From Colorado to COVID-19 self-isolation

    From Colorado to COVID-19 self-isolation

    HSU Freshman’s experience catching coronavirus.

    After losing the second half of my senior year to the pandemic and missing out on new friendships at a new school, I begin my college journey isolated in a campus apartment, where my only access to the outside world is through a screen door I’m not allowed to open.

    Coming from dusty and deserted Western-Colorado, all I’ve wanted to do since I was accepted to Humboldt State University is explore. An area surrounded by redwood forests and ocean was a dream alone, but it’s also home to the majestic, wild banana slug – I had to see one! But first, there were a few things to do.

    On Aug. 17, I took my mandatory COVID-19 test and excitedly began moving things into my dorm, arranging a plethora of houseplants and a cozy corner for my pet tree frog, Terra. Very quickly, this became my new home. Aug. 18 was orientation day – I’d quickly adjusted and felt ready to conquer the world at HSU. That afternoon, I explored campus and the forest, making not just one, but an entire slimy armful of banana slug friends. My dream had come true, at the cost of only a few tiny slug-bites.

    Before my parents returned home on Aug. 19, we met at a local coffee shop to say goodbye; that’s when I received the call informing me my COVID-19 test had come back positive. It was as if suddenly the world started spinning; I was speechless. I never imagined it would be me who caught COVID-19; afterall I’m young and otherwise healthy. But this pandemic has taught us what we think we know to be true is often not the case.

    I wish I could say we rushed to my dorm, but instead, we stepped out of line and just stood together in shock. It occurred to me, I’d experienced possible symptoms of the virus earlier in the week – shortness of breath, nausea, low appetite, fatigue and headaches – however, each is also a symptom of my anxiety-disorder and it’s unclear which was the cause. My parents asked questions, but all I could think was of myself and every person I’d seen, connected by a piece in my contaminated puzzle. Suddenly, guilt and anxiety filled my entire being. I began to suffer a panic attack.

    It took a moment to start my car as I fought to catch my breath; my whole body felt as if it were collapsing. I called my boyfriend in Colorado but all he could understand was how afraid I was.

    This fear was never for myself; this fear was for others. Fear for my parents, for my friends, for my boyfriend and his family – fear for people I passed in the grocery store and for those I worked with. I never worried about myself. I worry about the damage I caused, unaware I carried the virus. It all felt like my fault. It felt like I’d let down the entire world.

    I was moved to a new room where I said goodbye to my parents and the company of others for at least a week. Over a thousand miles from home and yet it doesn’t seem nearly as far as the four walls separating me from beginning this new chapter of my life.

    In a state of constant fatigue and boredom, I sleep most of the day, only waking when my phone rings. Doctors, health centers and housing, all call several times each day asking similar questions and often I can’t tell them apart. When you’re only allowed in one place, you don’t have much aside from your thoughts. Is this my fault? Did I do something wrong? Should I stay quiet about it? When will they let me leave this room?

    My new room has a kitchen and a bathroom, a beautiful view through my screen door and plenty of food. HSU staff checks in consistently, doing everything they can to help me through this. I feel like I have a whole team of friends working to guarantee my health and safety.

    Despite everyone’s help, I’m still on my own. My main source of optimism is knowing my isolation is protecting others. Recognizing how our decisions affect others is the first step in preventing the spread. Sure, a mask is uncomfortable, but so is being locked in a room for seven days and so is losing someone you love because precautions weren’t taken.

    For those who don’t believe in COVID-19, it is real. It is harmful. It is possible for anyone to contract. We all believe we’re invincible until we’re not. My battle with COVID-19 continues, but I know someday I‘ll be able to step outside again and I will find another banana slug.