Things have not been growing great this year. I thought it was the abnormal weather or issues with the woodchips mixing in with the soil.. come to find out, we have the invasive Asian jumping worms! Unlike the European earth worm, which originally was introduced here but has become naturalized, the Asian worm is detrimental to local ecosystems. They eat the layer of top soil so fast that their castings have no nutrients. They strip the soil from nutrients and turn it into a coffee ground looking consistently. This affects the delicate soil structure and may make plants unstable and fall over. They are fairly easy to identify. They are fast and move in a s like slithering motion. Their clitellum is uniform to the body and white and extends around the whole segment. Soil They have eaten may look like coffee grounds and they leave piles of castings around, which resemble ant mounds. Have you noticed anything different about your soil or garden? Where are you and what do you plan to do? #asianjumpingworms #invasivespecies #soilhealth #ecosystems #biodiversity #earthworms #jumpingworms #invasivegarden #gardening #gardenpests #soil #worms #gardenproblems #savethesoil #savethesoilsavetheworld (at Canterbury, Connecticut) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSWmib8n64R/?utm_medium=tumblr
