Endangered? Critically Endangered?
Well this is weird, I do not actually know what the rating is for these. I usually use the IUCN website to find the animals I am going to paint. I saw an article about biologists trying to save these though. They are in the CITES database and listed as their most at risk rating. There are some pages that say they are endangered, others say they are critically endangered. Either way, they are at great risk, as are all 6 of the species of Polymita. Their shells are not quite an inch long but poaching them for their shells is their biggest threat by far. Their shells can be a host of different colours, and are pretty much considered the most beautiful land snail. They help keep trees healthy, including the important coffee trees. Because of that conservationists are trying to help locals realize that the snails are much better to keep alive and in their natural habitat.
Today I went and got peaches from my favourite little family farm stand. Their peaches are incredible. The variety is Veteran peaches, and if you haven't had them, I'm sorry. You could pretty much stick a straw in them and use it as a juice box. They really are the best peaches, and I'm not just putting them up against store-bought peaches which have almost no flavour in comparison. I've been to other peach orchards because I wanted peaches and there weren't any more left at this place. Yes, peaches you pick are always going to be good and much better than any you buy at a store. These though, even better than any I have picked elsewhere, and I don't even have to pick them! They are the type that almost fall off the pit, and they don't even need blanching to get the skin off easily. I am hoping to dry a bunch, maybe make fruit leather, and then eat more peaches than I ever should be allowed to eat until they are no longer available. There is such a short season and all this extra hot weather is screwing up the growing season for everything. I need to try and see if I can grow one of the peaches into a tree...or two or three. I know not every peach pit will end up germinating, but maybe I could get lucky. I really wish we had more yard so I could fit a lot more edible things in. Maybe we will one day be able to move to some property and I can put in all the peach trees I can possibly handle.