“My tricorder can’t make heads or tails of this thing, but I hear it’s helpful for farms. Beats me – I’m a doctor, not a annelidologist!”
Dear Dr. McCoy: You have evidently been shrunk and transported to Earth. That is a simple and common earthworm, not an unknown life form.
Common, however, is not a good descriptor. Worms are amazing creatures which are awesome to have around in the environment to help with the very important job of helping organic matter break down. Their castings (worm poop!) provides excellent nutrients to the soil, without which the garden and orchard would not be nearly so healthy.
Doctor, if you would like to learn more, you might wish to attend one of our classes or tours for children based on the book “Diary of a Worm”, when we’ll learn not only about worm but also compost. We may also get to see some real red wiggler worms doing their work in the compost bin of our Farmer Angela. And, please – bring your tricorder so it can be reprogrammed!
See here for information about weekday classes for groups of children, and look here if you’d like to do a “Wonder & Wonder” weekend tour with the family on the same subject!
