It does look likea rose slug. They range in size from very tiny to a little larger. They are easy to pick off as you inspect your roses, they certainly squish easy. Some years are worse than others for rose slug in my garden. Rose slug is neither a slug nor a caterpillar, but the larvae of a small wasp.

You need rocks?We live on an old rock quarry. We raked rocks for three summers up in our grove of trees before we could start with our shade garden. And you never used a shovel,you used a digging bar, a big one, not easy when you are about 4foot9, give or take an inch or two.You see a small rock and start to dig it out and it keeps getting bigger and bigger. and they are not the pretty flat ones, they are plain old round river rocks. I think they multiply at night! An uncle told us once they are good for the garden cause they hold the heat . That uncle told us alot of things, very few of which we believed. So I don't know!!!

Heuchera's are a good suggestion, I found mine don't really like a lot of shade; and they don't tend to get eaten by the slugs. Mine're ruffly though, so smoother ones might be tastier? Don't know. In deeper shade mine made like little palm trees, growing up and up. Not attractive. I put them in sun and they're happy little ground covers, they only get a couple hours shade a day and are happy. If you don't mind flowers, I'd try some annuals there too or lupins perhaps. For a greener look, salal or the low oregon grape are nice; I find both grow pretty well in sun or shade. I have some little maples with hardy geraniums under them, I particularly like the geranium I got at a plant swap a while ago and which I've forgotten the name of, it has pretty lacy dark red leaves. The maple has varigated red and cream leaves and they just look nice together I think. Another one has pulmonaria under it, but while pretty in bloom, it gets a bit ratty later on.

My mom!! She is bad about saving stuff, but at least it's useful stuff and not used Kleenex, trash or cat food cans etc. Her house looks fine, no paths, but the closets are stuffed, and we joke that a small family could live in her basement if they had a can opener!! I've always heard that just cleaning a Hoarders house for them won't do any good, they'll just go back to their old ways, unless they do the work themselves! But when I go to her house I do try and take stuff out a little at a time to help us (I worry about getting the mess when she passes) esp expired things that are unsafe. Last year I tried to help her by getting some shelves for the basement and grouped all the paper products (TP, Kleenex etc) canned/boxed food and cleaning supplies. Before it was scattered all over. I thought maybe if she saw how much there was it might help-Nope-not really! Recently, I took a few rolls of scrap gift wrap that she had saved from old packages. Some of the pieces were decent, some were so tiny and not worth saving! My favorite was the roll that had a design in orange, brown and purple-what decade is that from??? I'm not sure if my mom's problem is hoarding or frugalness or laziness? I point stuff out to her, like a TV cable for a tv we don't even own anymore and she says she'll throw it out, but next time it's still there in the same place. She does go through stuff once in a while and throw it out or donate to a charity, but she buys twice as much to replace! I really worry about her eating a food or taking a medicine that is a few YEARS out of date!! That being said, I see a little of myself in her-I can't resist after Christmas sales of cards, wrapping paper and toys being 75% or 90% off, but I try my darndest to use it all up the next year-and it feels good to use it all up and throw out the packaging! My DH just hates storing it all year round, so I hide some!! That should probably signal a problem?? lol I completely agree it's a fascinating problem!