Garden Visitor, or is it home?

Well, here we have a very pretty little garden snail. Actually he's not all THAT little - he's probably about 2" long. I was highly surprised to find him, and am quite pleased that he chose my lilacs for a resting place. Though I doubt after the agressive trimming I gave them this morning he'll stay for long. He was so well hidden and I believe I've removed just about all of his covering!

The pictures really don't do him justice. His chosen shell has a creamy yellow base coloring, with brilliant brownish red stripes. He's very lovely! I figured I'd better snap a picture quickly since by afternoon I'm sure he'll be gone. Hopefully he'll take the rain with him!

I don't have a picture but I REALLY trimmed back the lilacs. A gardener's magazine I read last year highly suggested it. So I did it last year, and yeilded twice the amount of blooms this year, over last year. Now I've trimmed them back significantly and am hoping to train them more towards the garage than towards the fence.... There is a ton of new growth coming in from the bottom which would be great as well since I want to keep it more of a bush than a tree.

yeap - the yard is coming along, slowly but surely! :)