NHM Earthworm Talk

We attended a fascinating Natural History Museum talk on earthworms where we were gladdened to learn there is an Earthworm Society Of Britain.

We'd wondered that there seemed to be more types of earthworm than the brandling and the blackbird's early worm, how many UK species are there? We were pointed in the direction of the free pdf earthworm identification guide available for download, published by the Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) network to identify presumably the 13 most common of the 27 UK species of earthworm. A more comprehensive guide to identifying all 27 species is published by the Field Studies Council. We've set ourselves a challenge to identify the Plot57b species we come across in 2016.

05/04/16 Update: It is now possible to survey your garden or allotment worms for the Earthworm Watch citizen science project.

@EarthwormWatch Survey

We chose our no-dig raised veg beds and a flowerbed as sites of different garden management for the Plot57b @EarthwormWatch survey.

We felt a little guilty for hauling out these unsuspecting critters on a cold, soggy morning; the deeper dwelling earthworms promptly removed themselves to depths deeper than the 10cm control depth of the pit. We are interested to find out how the numbers of our earthworms population compare to other gardens and national baselines.

05/04/16 Update: It is now possible to survey your garden or allotment worms for the Earthworm Watch citizen science project.

@EarthwormWatch Citizen Science

We signed up the Plot57b garden earthworms for @EarthwormWatch,"A new #CitizenScience project to improve knowledge of how humans affect #earthworms and soil health in the UK." The kit* landed on our doormat today, when the rain abates we'll venture into the mire that is Plot57b and administer the science.

*On reading the destructions it seems the sachets of vinegar and mustard condiments are NOT for wormy spaghetti alla Roald Dahl.

05/04/16 Update: It is now possible to survey your garden or allotment worms for the Earthworm Watch citizen science project.