One day in the summer vacation, the rain cleared up. My mother and I walked in the community, and the fragrance of grass after bathing was overflowing, which made people relaxed and happy.
I suddenly found many small snails climbing up the flower bed one by one. Maybe they came for a walk and smelled the grass. They crawled slowly with their houses on their backs. They look so cute! Wherever they climbed, they left traces like silver lines. I opened my eyes wide and asked my mother curiously, "Mom, are snails pests or beneficial insects?" Why is there a silver line where they climb? Mom smiled and cocked her head and replied, "Do you want to know the answer? Just find it yourself! "
Hum! Find it yourself! I caught three snails, first put them in a clean and beautiful box, then put a piece of tender vegetables and rice in the box, and they all scrambled to climb on the vegetables and chew them. After a while, I ate all the vegetables. I don't even smell rice. I preliminarily concluded that snails are pests.
I began to analyze "why is there a silver line where snails climb?" I put the snail in my hand and it immediately climbed into its home. I had to hold my breath and stare. After a while, it poked its little head out in fear, made a reconnaissance to see if there were any enemies around, and then stuck its head out carefully. My hand was just about to touch it when it shrank back timidly. I was very angry. It accidentally fell down, and with a bang, its shell was broken. I picked it up with my hand and felt sticky. I didn't know what it was, so I looked it up in the book. Oh! So those little things are its feet! That silver thread is a gland at the foot of a snail, called the foot gland, which secretes mucus. This mucus has a lubricating effect, which can reduce the friction between the snail's feet and the ground and help it crawl. So snails leave mucus everywhere they climb. When this mucus dries, it turns into a sparkling saliva line. Oh! I see! The book also wrote: Snails like to eat rotten plants, and after eating, they will eat fresh plants and young leaves, so I can conclude that snails are pests.
Children, science is all around us. As long as you are good at careful observation and careful analysis, you are an amazing "little scientist".