The palatability of 78 wildflower strip plants to the slug Arion lusitanicus

As Arion lusitanicus has been observed in high densities in wildflower stri ps, the palatability of the foliage of 78 species of sown and naturally occ urring plants found in such strips was investigated. In the laboratory, the slugs were offered a surplus of fresh, mature leaves and, after 16 h, a co nsumption index was calculated to rank the plants according to their palata bility to the slugs. Arion lusitanicus showed clear preferences for particu lar plant species, but more than two thirds of all plants investigated were scarcely eaten. Brassica napus was most eaten, followed by Papaver rhoeas, Capsella bursa-pastoris and Lamium purpureum. Overall, A. lusitanicus preferred sown species to naturally occurring ones and preferred annuals to perennials.