Banana trees have grown slowly through the oddly cool weather of spring. They are only now beginning to slowly recover from last winter.
1. Ariolimax columbinanus, banana slug is obviously unrelated to bananas, but seems as if it should not be. It is about as big as a small banana, but fortunately does not consume much viable vegetation. It prefers redwood detritus. It is rarely out during arid weather.
2. Actinidia deliciosa, kiwi vine is obviously as unrelated to bananas as a mollusk, but is something that I want to show off. These remaining three of five original cuttings are my second attempt to grow a male pollinator for a female vine that grew here two years ago.
3. Musa ingens, oem or giant highland banana produced a pup that grew big enough for separation. A smaller secondary pup remains attached as a potential replacement for the primary trunk when it finishes, but additional pups will likely develop through summer.
4. Musa itinerans var. xishuangbannaensis ‘Mekong giant’ banana also produced a pup. It is still dinky and now seems to be blinding out without a new leaf within its latest leaf. Another pup is only beginning to appear. I hope that more pups will eventually develop.
5. Musa, banana of an unidentified species and cultivar is recovering slowly from winter. It was here through last summer, so, unless it is a dwarf, it should be bigger by now. The shabbier specimen to its far left is Musa X balbisiana ‘Blue Java’ or ‘Ice Cream’ banana.
6. Rhody is who everyone who reads my Six on Saturday really wants to see. I have been negligent in posting pictures of him. He is not exactly easy to get a good picture of. Even this picture should have been centered better. Obviously, he knows his fans do not mind.
This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/
Tony Tomeo 
I’ve never seen a slug like that! It’s obviously funny to have added it to your six, among all the other bananas. Some are edible, I suppose ? But your climate is much more suitable for them than here…
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Banana slugs live in coastal regions, particularly within redwood forests. They do not live in arid climates just a few miles inland. They are quite famous here, and are the mascot of the University of California at Santa Cruz.
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The slug is incredible! Rhody is just amazing.
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Yes, even a bad picture of Rhody is rad!
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I have not seen a slug that size since I left the Pacific Northwest. They are impressive! But thankfully one does not see them in the garden. Plenty of other slugs – I still favor red lettuces because the Seattle slugs did not, plus with my current gardening strategy, it is easier to find all the self seeded lettuce that is growing everywhere. I just took the one that was growing practically under the Geum triflorum. Cool to see all the banana trees. When I was a kid, I used to swim in a neighbor’s pool and he was an avid gardener. He had some very good sized banana trees in San Diego.
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These banana slugs are mostly harmless. They can eat viable vegetation, but if they do so, they are not obvious about it. They show up in weird situations, but just cruise slowly through. Smaller slugs are damaging the new growth of the banana trees, but the banana trees grow too fast for the damage to be serious.
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Gosh, that slug really does look like a banana. I didn’t realise there are so many different sorts of banana.
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There are about two dozen cultivars of banana here, although almost all are still just dinky plugs.
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Such a cute portrait of Rhody! I like your banana pups, too!
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Rhody is really who everyone wants to see. Banana are relatively unimportant.
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Unless you need one for your bowl of oatmeal… Rhody would be of little help in that situation….
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Rhody would merely remind me that I need no banana in my oatmeal.
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