Valuable inhabitant of the earth

Deaf, dumb, naked and indispensable!

Earthworms do a lot for people and nature.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/photographyfirm - stock.adobe.com)

Did you know that earthworms are essential for our environment? It burrows diligently through the earth, converting organic matter into fertile soil and, if it is very quiet, you can hear it smacking - not coughing! February 15 has been proclaimed "Earthworm Day". Fascinating facts about a useful animal.

An earthworm does without eyes, ears, nose, lungs, teeth and a skeleton because it does not need any of these for its underground life. There are around 700 species of earthworm worldwide, around 400 of them in Europe and around 60 in Austria. In this country, they are not aware of their day of honor on February 15. During the cold season, they lie curled up deep in the earth and wait for "better times" - they also do this in summer when it gets too hot for them.

Beastly good "drilling machine"
In spring and fall, the earthworm digs and eats almost continuously. Some specimens even eat up to half their own weight every day! They aerate and loosen the soil as they tunnel up to three meters deep, intensively mixing the different soil layers. And thanks to its feeding behavior, it adds valuable nutrients to the soil.

Best fertilizer for the soil
Earthworms feel most at home in airy, moist soil. Their diet includes leaves, dead plant remains and microorganisms. In order to eat them, however, bacteria and fungi must first do the work of breaking them down for the toothless worm. Once this is done, the plant remains are devoured underground, digested and excreted.

The earthworms' excrement contains highly concentrated nutrients, significantly more than in normal garden soil. Their droppings are the best fertilizer for plants. The earthworm's active underground activity also redistributes the nutrients - from the bottom to the top.

Tasty delicacy: The earthworm contributes to the food cycle in many ways.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/cuhle-fotos - stock.adobe.com)

What worries the master soil builder!
Soil sealing poses the greatest threat to earthworms. If soils are heavily compacted by heavy machinery, the animals flee. How climate change will affect the earthworm population remains to be seen. Extreme weather events, such as heavy rainfall and drought, pose an increasing challenge for earthworms.

When an earthworm comes to the surface, it faces numerous dangers. If it stays outside for too long, it can easily dry out. Even sticking its head out to pull food into the tube can be dangerous. An earthworm has a number of enemies: birds, moles, hedgehogs, grass frogs, fire salamanders, snails and, last but not least, humans if they use them as fishing bait.

One makes two - is that true?
No. You can't cut an earthworm in half and make two. An earthworm also has a brain and a few organs that do not simply grow back. However, it is true that a worm whose rear end has been lost - for example due to a spade cut by an eager gardener - can continue to live. If the intestine remains complete, a piece of the body grows back.

Female and male in one
Earthworms are hermaphrodites, each of them has testicles and ovaries. Sexually mature animals have a thickening of the skin in the front third of the body, the so-called girdle. This tells you where the front and back of the worm are: the girdle is closer to the head.

That's where the worm likes to be
Every garden should have at least one "wild corner". This area should be mowed as little as possible. In general, the less often it is mowed and the higher the grass is, the more comfortable our animal roommates feel. The soil should not be dug up too deeply, but only loosened. Thin layers of mulch on the beds are a "wellness oasis" for earthworms. In the compost, they love leek scraps, onion skins and coffee grounds.

The Austrian Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union asks people to share their observations of earthworms via photos on www.naturbeobachtung.at .