All About Worms

A reader wrote to us the other day about a unique worm that she found on the beach in Port Aransas, Texas. The worm (or rather, worms – she found several) are covered in what appear to be dozens of small shells. The reader attributed agency to the worm, suggesting that the worm had perhaps “decorated” itself with the shells, much like a decorator crab wraps itself in seaweed to blend in with its surroundings. Many of these strange worms, which were a few inches long on average, were found on the beach, although a few others were found in the water, where they were partially buried in sand. (Presumably, these worms were right by the shore, or else our reader must have been diving to the explore the ocean’s floor.) What are these worms?

Worms and compost are a match made in heaven. Worms love the stuff of compost bins, happily consuming it and then leaving behind worm castings (a.k.a. vermicast, worm humus, or worm manure), which is excellent fertilizer. So, we are able to convert our organic waste into something of value, and in so doing we make a lot of worms happy. We’ve written a lot about worm composting before (check out this article on the general topic of using worms in your compost, and here is another about a specific way to compost using worm farms), so we are certainly no strangers to this fantastic natural process.

A very nice and enthusiastic reader wrote to us recently about earthworms that live in the soil of Omaha, Nebraska. The reader was able to find plenty of information about worms that are used for composting (which are typically red worms, commonly called red wiggler worms), but couldn’t seem to find much on plain old earthworms that you find in soil. Allow us to be of assistance.

Not long ago, a reader wrote to us about a problem he is having with worms and his lawn. More specifically, he thinks that the worms in his lawn are causing it be uneven and rough, and as a result he is wondering what kind of worms he is dealing with and how he can get rid of them. One’s lawn is a precious thing, so we understand his dilemma.

A reader wrote to us recently about an amazing and beautiful worm, or what is believed to be a worm, that he had found on his patio. In fact, both those adjectives were combined, making the worm, in the reader’s words, an “amazing beauty.” The worm, which is about an inch long, had a red head, white “puffs” on its back, and two large antennae. Given this worm’s aesthetic appeal, it is not surprising that the reader wanted to know what kind of worm it was.