Have you ever wondered what an earthworm thinks? I
recently purchased a children’s book, The
Diary of a Worm, for my son. The book is about
the life of a young earthworm. As I read this book to my son, I found
myself laughing hysterically. My 6-year-old didn’t understand all the
humor, but he enjoyed the illustrations. The
Diary of a Worm, written by Doreen Cronin and
illustrated by Harry Bliss, would make a great gift for any gardener. Another great children’s book about earthworms
is Wonderful Worms by
Linda Glaser. This beautifully
illustrated, factual book teaches kids
how worms benefit the soil. These books enticed me to learn more about
earthworms, and I visited a kid-friendly Web site devoted to earthworms,
the University of Illinois Extension’s “The Adventures of
Herman (the Worm),” www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/worms/index.html. “The Adventures of Herman” is the
autobiography of Squirmin’ Herman the worm. Kids can take a wonderful
adventure with Herman and learn about worm anatomy, the history of worms,
and why worms are so important to us. European settlers accidentally introduced earthworms,
most likely as hitchhikers in the soil of plants being brought to the New
World, to North America about 350 years ago. Today, about 200 species of
earthworms are found in North America, each with its own soil preferences.
In addition to being good bait, earthworms are great
for our soil. Having earthworms in your soil is a sign that you have
healthy soil. Earthworms are underground farmers, responsible for many of
the things that help our soil grow healthy plants. While feeding, they
“turn” the soil, bringing organic matter, such as leaves and
grass, from the surface and mixing it with the soil below. Earthworms leave
behind valuable fertilizer through their castings (fecal matter). In
addition, they naturally till the soil as they feed. As they burrow through
the soil, they improve the soil structure and create channels through which
plant roots can grow. Earthworms species range from 1 inch to 10 feet in
length. The largest ever found measured 22 feet from end to end. An area
the size of a football field may contain 50,000 to 1 million earthworms,
capable of moving about 40 tons of soil. For a fun activity this fall, consider making a
tasteful worm (gummy) treat. Although it takes a long time to build real
soil, you can make a fun visual representation in minutes. Visit Purdue
University’s Web site “Building Better Soil: Taste the
Difference,” www.ctic.purdue.edu/CTIC/BetterSoilRecipe.htm.
This article appears in Nov 10-16, 2005.
