“Small, thin, black worms” of approximately 1-2-inches have been showing up in our reader’s backyard. This is a new occurrence for our reader, as it has only been happening for the past “couple of months”, and our reader wonders if they are “good worms or bad worms.”

“What is this?” is all this reader asks about the bright green creature in the photo below. From what we can make out, the creature has multiple appendages along its body, which could either be legs or bristles, and may be segmented.

“It was dark and had many legs”, said this man. living in a “hotel-like apartment complex”, about something he found curled up on his floor. The creature in question is an elongated shape, has multiple pairs of legs sprouting from each section of its segmented body, and is a dark brown/black in color.

Worms of approximately 1/2-inch long were found in a large mass in the moist mulch of this reader’s garden in Earlyville, Virginia. The worms in question are a clear white color, with dark markings along their bodies, and a bulbous brown mass on either end of their bodies.

We get many questions from worried readers who have seen caterpillars on trees or plants. For the most part, these creatures aren’t causing any real harm and can be left alone. However, some species can be quite destructive and should be removed for the health of the plant.