Worms no slugs when it comes to labour

Posted By DAVID HAWKE

Posted 1 month ago

living in the dirt and eating rotting leaves. They're slimy and soft and oh so awful to handle. They are both overlooked and sought after; although often ignored they are a major part of a healthy ecosystem. "They"... are earthworms.

If you happen to be an angler (the politically correct, nonsexist noun that seems to have replaced "fisherman"), then you've probably already been on intimate terms with an earthworm -- hauling a slime-covered noodle from a little soggy box, impaling it on a sharpened hook of metal, and then either drowning it or sacrificing it as food to other slime-coated creatures (that would be a fish) is the most basic rite of fishing.

But what of the worm... does it feel pain? Can it regrow its body once ripped in half? Dismemberment is a common practice amongst fishermen... I mean anglers -- get "two" worms for the price of one.

Before we answer these questions put forth by the inquiring mind, let's determine the importance of this somewhat maligned species.

Worms are an excellent example of how a creature can be superbly suited to its environment: streamlined and tubular, they can burrow through soil with great ease. The aforementioned slimy coating allows for almost frictionless movement, and two sets of muscles within the body wall provide incredible strength.

As the worms tunnel through your lawn and garden, they allow air to mix with the soil, and mix together soil types and rotting organics. They also add a lot of fertilizer to the soil.

As one author put it, "the soil that's home to earthworms is also the residence of billions of other animals, and it's the place where plants grow. Since all animals, including humans, depend on plants for food, the soil becomes more than just dirt. It's at the very foundation of our food supply. And at the foundation of the most fertile and productive soil of all, there is the earthworm, whose activities make soil conditions more favourable for plant growth."

As an earthworm eats, it is performing one of the most important processes on our planet: recycling. As dead leaves and other organics are eaten and "passed along," the nutrients held within those structures are released back to the soil. If worms did not assist with the decomposition of these materials, the basic chemicals of life would stay locked up for a long time. When you stop and think about it, without worms we might well run out of essential supplies.

Lucky for us, worms are found just about everywhere, sometimes as many as a million per acre of soil. As long as the soil is not too dry, or too acidic, worms will probably be there.

Should a worm be cut in half by a garden spade (or ripped in half by you-know-who), it can regrow body parts, but only if separated at the proper place. If nipped before the first 12 segments, or after the last four or five, the earthworm has the ability to regenerate those missing parts. Therefore, being divided around the middle mark is a major no-no for a earthworm.

Worms are sensitive to light, touch and pain. They react by disappearing down their burrow if possible, or twisting themselves into a protective ball.

Besides anglers (fisher-persons?), earthworms need to avoid robins, moles and woodcocks. These species are very efficient at finding them.

Robins hop about the grass simulating falling raindrops, luring worms from their burrows. Moles tunnel through the soil, eating hapless worms that don't move out of the way quick enough. And woodcock probe into the wet mud with their unique beaks, pulling many a surprised earthworm up to the surface.

Earthworms are no slugs (bad pun) when it comes to strength. As they tunnel through the soil, they often encounter rocks which, for some reason, they would sooner move than go around.

Stones weighing up to 50 times the body weight of the worm have been pushed aside. That would be the equivalent of me pushing a four-tonne obstacle out of my way (without the aid of my come-along, my neighbour's winch or a passing 4x4).

Worms. If you've got 'em, don't see your doctor. Just let them continue doing their role of improving your lawn and garden.