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The Dorman’s tree snail or manatee tree snail, Drymaeus dormani, is a handsome little hermaphrodite which is harmless to plants. It is native to Florida, and has been used in Florida’s orange groves to protect the trees from sooty mold.

These snails have thin, fragile shells which appear translucent. Mature snails reach 25-30 mm long. They live out their entire lives in trees, with the exception of traveling to the ground to lay eggs. Because they eat lichen, fungi and algae from the trunks of trees, they do no harm to plants and are great snails to find in your garden.

In the winter, they hibernate (or estivate), adhering themselves to vertical surfaces and waiting for better weather. They can live to be six to eight years old!