Worm Glossary

Alabama/Georgia Jumpers (Amynthus Gracilus) - The jumper worm is native to Asia. It is an invasive species in the US, especially deciduous forests. Unfortunately it now populates large sections of North America. They can outcompete our native worms, but they are not cold tolerant so they can die off in our winters.

Castings - The end product of worms. They don’t have a digestive system so their product isn’t really poop. When fresh it will contain a large variety of live micro-organisms along with nutrients for your plants. The quality of the fertilizer will depend on the quality of the food the worms have eaten.

Clitellum (saddle) - The slightly raised, orangish band near the worm’s head. This is the worm’s sexual organ and appears when the worm reaches maturity.

Earthworm Classes - There are more than 9,000 species grouped into three categories according to their natural behavior: anecic, endogeic, and epigeic.

• Anecic species: Think nightcrawlers, make deep burrows in soil. They feed on soil and organic debris from the soil surface and create humus.
• Endogeic species: Build wide-ranging, mainly horizontal burrows. They are the only species of earthworms that actually feed on large quantities of soil. As they move through the soil and feed, they mix and aerate the soil and incorporate minerals into the topsoil.
• Epigeic species: Represented by the common red wiggler (Eisenia fetida), are usually found in areas rich in organic matter. They don't burrow deeply into the soil and prefer organic matter. These are North America”s favorite composting worm.

Eisenia Fetida (foetida) - The official classification name of red wiggler worms

Epigeic – worms that live near the surface of their habitat

... more coming soon