I finally got around to double digging my third raised bed so I could plant my beans and found hundreds of earth worms. I know they're good for the soil but then wondered if I had too many. Could that be bad for my garden? A couple of online searches and my worries were diminished, but my interest piqued. I knew that worm castings are great fertilizer and the holes they dig add air to the soil. But there were some other findings I found fascinating.
On a night crawler you'll find a white band around the worm; that's where my Dad always said to put the hook through when I was fishing. But that's actually the egg sack. This sack carries 2 - 12 wormlings. Worms are hermaphroditic, meaning they posess both sets of sex organs. However, they still need to mate with another worm to produce babies. And you know how in spring when you see worms on the sidewalk after a rain; it's not because they're drowning, it's because they are mating -- it's easier for a worm to move fast above wet ground.
There are four different kinds of earthworms up north -- Canadian Gray Worm, Black Head Worm, Small Leaf Worm and the Leaf Worm. Important to note that although worms are great for your garden, they are NOT great to introduce to a lakeside ecosystem. If you use nightcrawlers/earthworms as fish bait, bring it back to your home compost pile, do not throw on the ground at the public access.
Worms are complex creatures, I want to know more. Do you have any fascinating facts about our wonderful worms?
