In defence of slugs and moths: the pesky invertebrates Britain loves to hate

Slugs eat our lettuce. Moths eat our jumpers. It seems pretty unlikely that either will win the Guardian’s invertebrate of the year competition, and yet …

This newspaper has a venerable history of standing up for the underdog and it turns out the national hatred for slugs and moths may be largely unfounded.

Let’s start with slugs. The Royal Horticultural Society has for centuries being informing people of the best way to murder slimy garden visitors. But in recent years the institution has changed its tune, urging its trowel-wielding members to treat slugs and snails as friends.