7/08/2024 Photo of the Day - Worming Around - Nightcrawlers and Earthworms

 

18 June 2024- 

While investigating the floodwaters this afternoon we stumbled upon some earthworms! Here are two that we affectionately dubbed Mike and Jerald (guess which one is which). My limited worm identification skills allowed me to deduce that these are probably nightcrawlers, lumbricus terrestris. Nightcrawlers can’t swim, so we think these fellows were probably trying to escape the floodwaters like we were!


Like all other terrestrial earthworms in Minnesota, nightcrawlers are non-native and invasive, introduced by European settlers. Minnesotan forests developed without the presence of earthworms, so their introduction dramatically changed the forest floor, nutrient cycling, and decomposition. Without earthworms, leaf litter and other organic matter collects on the forest floor. This layer protects the soil from erosion and freezing temperatures, providing nutrients and habitat for all types of organisms. Earthworms decompose the leaf litter faster than it can be regenerated, leaving behind a mostly bare forest floor that is inhospitable for many native organisms. Restoration efforts are costly and mostly focus on preventing the introduction of more earthworm species. However, because worms move very slowly, it is very possible to retain earthworm-free areas!


- lbg 🐢



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