Sleepy snail!

How do snails manage to climb up the slender stems of the poppy and then settle themselves on one of the paper thin petals?  
The garden in Elarlsferry was more like a mini wilderness when we arrived last night but after a couple of hours this afternoon of serious weeding and removal of a rather unattractive conifer things are now looking a bit better.
Back to the snail .... when L and I came back from our round of golf it had gone and the petals on the poppy were still intact ..... how did the snail get down without the petal breaking off?
The extra photo is a view of the harbour at high tide.