It's still 2020, so of course we'd have a new invasive species in Minnesota, right?
Meet the "jumping worm," a slightly-hysterical creature that hatches early, grows fast, makes more little earthworms quickly, and can wreak havoc on your garden or anywhere it finds itself.
Jumping worms live in the top two or three inches of soil, and there can be so many, comsuming organic material so fast, that nothing can take root.
The Minnesota DNR even has a viideo of their impact you can watch.
Of course gardeners will be the first to know when the worms start popping up in the Northland, so there is a Jumping Worms Project that you can get involved in.
The steps are outlined below; just look for strange-acting worms and if you find any, put them against a plain background (like a piece of blank paper), shoot a photo, maybe a little video, and note the time, date and location of your observations, even if you don't find any.
How to become a Worm Ranger:
- Head out into your yard or to public parks.
- Inspect gardens, mulched, and composted areas.
- Pay attention to the top three inches of soil.
- Do you see soil that looks like coffee grounds?
- Do you see worms moving like snakes or thrashing around? Maybe a worm that lost its tail?
- Report your worm findings or lack of findings (we are interested in their absence as well) through the website.
- Repeat your observations in (can report on multiple locations) in 2020 and 2021.
For more information on efforts to track the jumping worm locally in the Duluth area, contact: boulder@d.umn.edu
