Worms

[Robin Orton]

Walking through Baxter Fields this morning, I noticed hundreds (probably) of small earthworms lying motionless (dead?) on the tarmac footpath, having presumably emerged during the night from the surrounding grass. Can anyone explain this?

[marymck]

Walking through Baxter Fields this morning, I noticed hundreds (probably) of small earthworms lying motionless (dead?) on the tarmac footpath, having presumably emerged during the night from the surrounding grass. Can anyone explain this?

I think they surface after heavy rain, looking for a bit of action of a romantic nature.
Maybe they were just too tired after that to make it back underground. But as to why they died, I don't know. Is there a frost pocket in Baxter's Field? Or is there the worm equivalent of a black widow at work?

[Robin Orton]

Yes, I know worms often appear in large numbers after rain, particularly perhaps at this time of year. What struck me as different this morning was their small size (juveniles?) and the fact that they were apparently lifeless. So far as I know, Baxter Fields does not have a micro-climate!

[Rachael]

I was working in my garden yesterday and came across a small, dead earthworm lying on the grass. I don't ever remember seeing a dead worm just lying there like that. I thought it was odd at the time. And it was quite short - about an inch or an inch and a half at most.

[JRobinson]

is it a sign from God suggesting a diet of worms?

[marymck]

is it a sign from God suggesting a diet of worms?

Groan ...

Or is it the end of the world as we know it, and they've not come up, but fallen down ...

"The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter."

[Robin Orton]

On the other hand (if we're going all apocalyptic) there's -

'It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.'

Actually, someone I mentioned this to pointed out that there was in fact a slight frost yesterday morning, following upon a lot of rain during the night. That seems to support Mary's theory.

[marymck]

Oh drat! Just as I felt a Sci-Fi Channel screenplay coming on.