tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155330732024-03-12T18:23:52.001-07:00Worms of EndearmentEverything you always wanted to know about earthworms but were afraid to ask.
From the author of The Earth Moved:On the Remarkable Achievements of EarthwormsAmy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comBlogger182125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1151102063473223862006-06-23T15:30:00.000-07:002006-06-23T15:34:23.486-07:00Worming My Way to a New BlogWell, I have reached that point in every blogger's life when it is finally time to make the move from Blogger to TypePad. I'm also rolling all three of my blogs (Dirt, Humboldt Hens, and Worms of Endearment) into one, and in addition to writing about the garden, the chickens, and the worms, I'll also be writing about the book tour and lots of other topics related to my new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1565124383/sr=8-1/qid=1151101410/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-9512336-3465513?%5Fencoding=UTF8">Flower Confidential</a>. My new blog home is here: <a href="http://blog.amystewart.com/">http://blog.amystewart.com/</a><br /><br />and I promise there will be plenty of good worm stuff there, in addition to all the Worms of Endearment archives.<br /><br />And last, but certainly not least, you'll find me over at <a href="http://www.gardenrant.com/">GardenRant</a> a few times a week. We're having a lot of fun, so come join us.Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1150220469382580242006-06-13T10:40:00.000-07:002006-06-13T10:43:52.140-07:00Garden Rant Takes Over the World<a href="http://www.gardenrant.com"><img style="CLEAR: all; FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5278/615/1600/garden%20rant%20for%20button.jpg" border="0" /></a>A few months ago, I started talking with Susan Harris of <a href="http://takomagardener.typepad.com/">Takoma Gardener</a> and Michele Owens of <a href="http://www.signoftheshovel.com/">Sign of the Shovel</a> about a modest little idea we had to stage a horticultural revolt. We were tired of what the mainstream gardening media has to offer--warmed-over garden tips, repurposed press releases about the ten thousandth new coleus on the market, dull little essays about the wonders of spring--and we were convinced that bloggers could overthrow the gardening establishment in the way that they are transforming coverage of politics and current affairs. (Witness the success of the <a href="http://www.yearlykos.org/">YearlyKos </a>convention. Not that I want to be the <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/">DailyKos</a> of gardening. I'd much rather be the <a href="http://www.gawker.com/">Gawker </a>of gardening. But one thing at a time.)<br /><br />Like all good revolutionaries, we began by writing a manifesto. You can read the whole thing on our site, but I'll touch on a few of my favorite points here:<br /><p>--We are convinced that gardening MATTERS. Get us out of the Lifestyle section and as far away from home decorating as possible. We're talking about how we interact with the plant kingdom, not how to choose a throw pillow. This shit is important!</p><p>--We are flabbergasted at the idea of "no maintenance" gardens. If I have to read one more magazine article about Easy Container Gardens in 10 Minutes or Less, I may actually go bury MYSELF in the perennial border. Gardening is something you DO. It's not something you buy and arrange around the exterior of your home in between fluffing the aforementioned throw pillows.</p><p>--We are delighted by people with a passion for plants. Show some excitement! Have an opinion! Fall in love! Get mad! If you're bored, put your pen down and go outside. Just don't bore us, too.</p>Are you with me? All right, then. Follow me over to <a href="http://www.gardenrant.com">Garden Rant</a>, where I'll be blogging a couple times a week. Some of my favorite new features include:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/ask_dr_bleedingheart/index.html">Ask Dr. Bleedingheart</a>--horticultural advice for the lovelorn. Send in your melodramas today.</li><li><a href="http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/i_dont_have_a_garden_but_i_watch_one_on_tv/index.html">I Don't Have a Garden, But I Watch One On TV</a>--reviews of garden television and Internet garden videos. (We'll cover podcasts and radio too, so if it's good, send it our way.)</li><li><a href="http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/taking_your_gardening_dollar/index.html">Taking Your Gardening Dollar</a>--product reviews, rip-offs, and vicarious horticultural shopping experiences.</li><li><strong>You!</strong> We're looking for guest bloggers, so if you have something brilliant to say, we hope you'll consider saying it on <a href="http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/">Garden Rant</a> first. Come rant with us!</li></ul>Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1147644894968500552006-05-14T15:14:00.000-07:002006-05-14T15:14:55.016-07:00Sunday New York TimesCheck out <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/opinion/14stewart.html?ex=1148270400&en=7ff7a774801674da&ei=5070">my op-ed piece </a>in today's New York Times. You'll be hearing more from me in the months to come about my new book, Flower Confidential, but this will give you a preview.Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1146876222087154982006-05-07T10:43:00.000-07:002006-05-07T12:14:42.956-07:00Oddly Fascinating Animated Video...shows a worm digesting its food. I love the little cartoon poop left behind at the end. Check it out here:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ncsu.edu/scivis/lessons/earthworm/Overview.html">Overview</a>Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1146767350283083262006-05-06T11:29:00.000-07:002006-05-06T11:49:02.596-07:00Sam James, Worm HunterCheck out this story about Sam James, earthworm taxonomist who recently found an earthworm in Brazil that was believed to be extinct.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/14313/">Kansas City infoZine - KU Research Associate Helps Discover Worm Once Thought to be Extinct - USA</a>Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1146767099557793992006-05-05T11:24:00.000-07:002006-05-05T09:20:30.716-07:00More Praise for Earthworms"Where there's a healthy earthworm population, there will be 1000 miles of burrows per acre, she continues.<br /><br />"Fields with earthworm tunnels absorb water at a rate of 4-10 times that of fields without worm tunnels."<br /><br />Worms also act as a biological filter, she maintains.<br /><br />"They line their burrows with mucus which absorbs any pollutants, such as nitrates and pesticides, which are in the water. "<br /><br /><a href="http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2006/04/28/94187/Earthworms+help+prevent+erosion.html">Earthworms help prevent erosion</a>Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1146766319516026022006-05-04T11:11:00.000-07:002006-05-04T11:11:59.586-07:00Earthbound Farms Loves Earthworms"'Here, you dig the earth and there are earthworms,' says Kodet. 'In my 22 years working for a conventional grower, I never saw an earthworm.' "<br /><br /><a href="http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2006/05/03/FDGVTIIND31.DTL">THE FACES OF ORGANIC / EARTHBOUND FARM: Backyard farmers emerge as top organic produce brand</a>Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1144129232170202082006-04-03T22:40:00.000-07:002006-04-03T22:41:29.123-07:00Honey, what's for dinner?<a href="http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Sunday/National/20060402084232/worms.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Sunday/National/20060402084232/worms.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Worms, of course!<br /><br />"They taste like cockles, earthy and a bit bitter," he said, describing the blanched worms he ate, having heard that earthworm was used to cure fever in Indonesia.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Sunday/National/20060402084232/Article/index_html">New Straits Times - Malaysia News Online</a>Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1144124543468649232006-04-03T21:22:00.000-07:002006-04-03T21:22:23.553-07:00Be Good to Your WormsThe Salt Lake Tribune reminds us that "bumpy lawns can drive some homeowners crazy. Even while acknowledging that worms are beneficial in the long run, many people ask how they can kill this lawn 'pest.' "<br /><br />Boy, does that drive me crazy. People, a lawn with a good earthworm population is a healthy lawn! Be happy! Celebrate!<br /><br />Seriously, if you've got time to worry about little tiny piles of earthworm castings in your grass, you have way too much time on your hands. Go volunteer somewhere. Spend more time with your grandchildren. Write a novel. Or even better--rip out part of that lawn and plant a nice time-consuming vegetable garden. <br /><br />Actually, once piece of practical advice: set the blade on your mower a little higher. The taller grass will hide worm castings, conserve water, crowd out weeds, reduce thatch, and create a healthier lawn overall.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.sltrib.com/food/ci_3666638">Salt Lake Tribune - Food</a>:Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1143002296415262612006-03-21T20:38:00.000-08:002006-03-21T20:38:16.476-08:00Invite a Worm to DinnerIn honor of Earth Day, Organic Valley Family of Farms would like you to hold an Earth Dinner to celebrate the planet's bounty.<br /><br />"Make it simple or make it splendid! From a potluck dinner to a masterful multi-course presentation--any style works for an Earth Dinner. The key is to know the origins of what's being served-how it was grown, where it came from, who grew it, its nutritional value. Each dish brought to the table provides an opportunity for us to talk about its origins and its connections to our personal histories through the activity cards provided in this package."<br /><br />Yes, there are activity cards to spark your earthy discussion, including one that"makes players think creatively -- e.g., pretend you're an earthworm running for public office!"<br /><br />I'll give you a little while to think that over.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.earthdinner.org/plan_your_dinner.html">Earth Dinner Plan Your Dinner</a>Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1142402028543337592006-03-14T21:53:00.000-08:002006-03-14T21:53:48.543-08:00Extinct taxonomists?Speaking of extinct earthworms-and we were--here's a funny little story from a funny little planet about another vanishing species--oligochaetologists. Make of it what you will.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.berkeleydaily.org/text/article.cfm?issue=03-14-06&storyID=23651">Berkeley Daily Planet</a>Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1142401835687778522006-03-14T21:50:00.000-08:002006-03-14T21:50:35.783-08:00The Missing TillerAn excerpt from an excerpt from a new novel on Upton Sinclair called U.S.! by Chris Bachelder, in which titles for a book on earthworms are imagined...and said book is then imaginatively sent to the remainder bin. <br /><br />Sigh.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5257218">NPR : 'U.S.!': Resurrecting Upton Sinclair</a>: " The strong, near-rotten smell in the car made me remember the way the summer rains would bring up long, knotty earthworms in the streets of my childhood neighborhood. It occurs to me now that I haven't seen worms like that in years. Perhaps the earthworm is a bellwether, a coal-mine canary, yet another harbinger of planetary doom. No doubt there will soon be a book, called The Missing Tiller, perhaps, or Dearthworm, blurbed as 'quite possibly the best of the disappearing animal books.' And the books about disappearing frogs, disappearing dolphins, and disappearing eagles will disappear to the discount table, three for ten dollars."Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1142312606222411542006-03-13T21:02:00.000-08:002006-03-13T21:03:26.246-08:00I Left My Worms in San FranciscoJoin me at San Francisco’s Cow Palace for three worm workshops, with booksignings afterwards at the Builders Booksource booth. It’s all happening on:<br /><br />Saturday, March 18, 2:30 pm<br />"The Secret Life of Worms" (Kids program)<br /><br />Saturday, March 18, 4:15 pm<br />"Worm Composting 101"<br /><br />Sunday, March 19, 1:00 pm<br />"The Secret Life of Worms" (Kids program)<br /><br />For tickets & information:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.gardenshow.com/sf/index.html">San Francisco Flower & Garden Show</a>Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1140236586613191922006-02-25T20:23:00.000-08:002006-02-25T18:05:07.986-08:00A Shout-Out to YelmI was so happy to see the folks from Yelm Earth at the Seattle garden show. This worm farm in Washington state has been through a lot of changes over the years. I went to visit it when I was doing research for The Earth Moved and I think it was for sale then. Anyway, there's a good group of people tending the worms, selling castings, and more. They've got a rich supply of manure for feedstock, good equipment, and plenty of knowledge. Check them out.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.yelmworms.com/yelm-worm-farm/">Yelm Earthworm & Castings Farm -</a>Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1140751774230356402006-02-23T19:29:00.000-08:002006-02-23T19:35:00.110-08:00Ice Worms!<a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2006/02/20/2002818142.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2006/02/20/2002818142.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Now, this is cool. The Seattle Times reports on an expedition to find ice worms, tiny segmented worms that live around glaciers. But here are some things you may not know about ice worms:<br /><br />Their Latin name is <em>Mesenchytraeus solifugus</em>. They're in the same taxonomic class as regular segmented earthworms that live in your garden. <br /><br />They eat snow algae.<br /><br />There can be as many as 2600 ice worms in a square meter of glacier. One glacier can hold more ice worms than the entire human population.<br /><br />They live in temperate climates in Alaska, Canada, Oregon, and Washington.<br /><br />Check them out here:<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002818691_iceworms21m.html">The Seattle Times: Local News: Ice worms: They're real, and they're hot</a>Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1140570844231459392006-02-21T17:13:00.000-08:002006-02-21T17:14:04.250-08:00Now All I Need is a TitleWe take a break from our regularly scheduled worm programming for a special announcement: <br /><br />I need some help choosing a title for my next book. It's just four or five little words--you wouldn't think it would be so hard, but my editor and I have been taxing our poor little brains for weeks now and we still haven't settled on the perfect title.<br /><br />So now I've set up an online survey and I'd really appreciate it if you'd go take the survey and encourage your friends to do the same. You won't have to log in or provide any personal information.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB2252PYWRWVA">Amy's Next Book: The Survey</a><br /><br />If you have more ideas than what the survey can handle, feel free to post a comment or send me an e-mail.<br /><br />By the way, I'd like to thank the author Po Bronson for the inspiration for this survey. He went through a similar process with the <a href="http://www.pobronson.com/Cover_Story.htm">cover design for his last book</a>, Why Do I Love These People?Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1140235922055589792006-02-17T20:12:00.000-08:002006-02-17T20:12:44.696-08:00Palouse Worm Gets National Attention<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/images/US/ht_earthworm_060213_sp.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/US/ht_earthworm_060213_sp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Oh, this is a little one. Good news, I suppose--that means that some big mommy worms are out there having babies. It gives me hope, knowing that giant earthworms are still roaming the deep.<br /><br /><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=1613151&page=1">ABC News: Meter-Long Monsters That Smell Like Lilies</a>Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1137444775941050702006-02-12T12:43:00.000-08:002006-02-01T12:36:27.903-08:00Meet Me in Seattle<a href="http://gardenshownw.com/uploads/Image/NWPoster_324x450.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://gardenshownw.com/uploads/Image/NWPoster_324x450.jpg" border="0" /></a> The worms and I are headed to Seattle in February. If you live in the Pacific Northwest and you've never been to the Northwest Flower & Garden Show...well, you don't know what you're missing. This is an over-the-top floral and garden extravaganza. I'm glad I'm scheduled for two days, because it will take me that long to get through it.<br /><br />Come say hello at one of my three worm composting workshops:<br /><br />Saturday, February 11, 12 noon<br />"The Secret Life of Worms"Sprouts Stage (Family Program)<br /><br />Sunday, February 12, 11 a.m.<br />"Composting with Earthworms"Monrovia Stage<br /><br />Sunday, February 12, 3 p.m.<br />"The Secret Life of Worms"Sprouts Stage (Family Program)<br /><br />"Composting with Earthworms" description (the "Secret Life of Worms" is a shorter version for kids)<br /><br />Join Amy Stewart, author of The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms, for an entertaining and in-depth exploration of that tireless ploughman, the earthworm. She’ll bring her worms and her worm bin with her for this hands-on workshop.<br /><br />Find out all about the care and feeding of earthworms, and learn more about the extraordinary role that these creatures play in the soil. Thousands of earthworms can live in a small worm bin and consume all your kitchen scraps, creating earthworm castings that are rich in soil microbes and help produce healthy, disease-free plants. Worm composting is also a fun project for parents and kids to do together, allowing kids to learn firsthand about recycling and earth science.<br /><br />For tickets and more information, visit the <a href="http://gardenshownw.com/">Northwest Flower & Garden Show's website</a>.Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1139455874786498042006-02-08T19:31:00.000-08:002006-02-08T19:33:00.420-08:00Earthworms Eat Invasive Plants<a href="http://www.hindu.com/seta/2006/02/09/images/2006020900241701.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.hindu.com/seta/2006/02/09/images/2006020900241701.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Now here's a win-win situation. Feed water hyacinths to earthoworms. They don't call this plant "the blue devil" for nothing: it'll clog a river or a lake in no time flat. Turns out that worms love the stuff and 180 tons of yanked-out-and-piled-up water hyacinth will become 60 tons of rich worm castings. Go, worms! Then can you start on my dandelions?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.hindu.com/seta/2006/02/09/stories/2006020900241700.htm">The Hindu : Sci Tech / Agriculture : Water hyacinth: potential source for vermicompost</a>Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1138825175014294892006-02-01T12:19:00.000-08:002006-02-01T12:19:35.106-08:00Breaking news: Giant Palouse worm found in IdahoThis just in from the Seattle Times. These worms have not been seen in over 20 years and some people feared they were extinct. William Fender and his mother Dorothy did some of the early research about these earthworms, and she had a few specimens in her collection in Oregon when I spoke to her a few years ago as I was doing research for <em>The Earth Moved</em>.<br /><br />"A University of Idaho graduate student recently found a rare giant Palouse earthworm. Yaniria Sanchez-de Leon is apparently the first person in nearly two decades to find a specimen of the worm, which can reportedly grow to 3 feet long.<br /><br />She found the 6-inch white worm in May while digging at Washington State University's Smoot Hill Ecological Preserve near Palouse, Wash. The Palouse occupies an estimated 2 million acres of northcentral Idaho and southeastern Washington.<br /><br />Earthworm experts who gathered for a workshop in Sanchez-de Leon's native Puerto Rico in November confirmed Sanchez-de Leon's identification, as did Northwest earthworm expert William M. Fender-Westwind of Portland, Ore.<br /><br />"By earthworm standards, they're pretty cool," said James Johnson, the head of the university's Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences Department."<br /><br /><a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002776215_webearthworm01.html">The Seattle Times: Local News: Rare giant earthworm found in Idaho</a>:Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1138753381938480642006-01-31T16:23:00.000-08:002006-01-31T16:23:02.000-08:00More Organic Gardening in CubaThe good news about worm composting is always rolling in from Cuba. They're quite focused on reducing inputs (i.e., fertilizer) and increasing self-sufficiency, not to mention recycling, and what does all that mean? Worms, worms, worms. If only we all lived on islands. Oh, I suppose we do, in a larger sense.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.periodico26.cu/english/news_tunas/agriculture013006.htm">Urban Agriculture Gaining Momentum in Las Tunas, Cuba</a>:<br /><br />"As part of the efforts that Cuba is making to increase the areas dedicated to urban agriculture, a plan to set up 135 new organic vegetable plots is being organized in eastern Las Tunas province.<br /><br />These areas of land of approximately one hectare are mostly sown with green vegetables and spices. They have watering systems and use earthworm humus. "Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1138316928558197002006-01-26T15:03:00.000-08:002006-01-26T15:08:48.560-08:00Earthworm EggsThis is a crazy, but very cool, idea: Buy earthworm eggs and plant them in the ground like seeds. Let the little critters hatch and make magic in your soil.<br /><br />I believe the species is <em>Lumbricus rubellus</em>. This is a little red worm that will thrive in fertile soil and compost piles, but it is not a deep burrower like a nightcrawler. It's also not necessarily the best worm for a worm bin; for that I'd recommend <em>Eisenia fetida</em>, the red wiggler, which is the kind most commonly sold by worm farmer to use in worm bins.<br /><br /><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=kEP5hNUdhg4&offerid=51252.221702217&type=2&subid=0">Available from Gardener's Supply Company</a><img height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=kEP5hNUdhg4&bids=51252&type=2&subid=0" width="1" border="0" /><br /><br /><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=kEP5hNUdhg4&offerid=51252.221702217&type=2&subid=0"><img src="http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.static/Sites-Gardeners-Site/Sites-Gardeners/default/Products/02-217.jpg" border="0" /></a><img height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=kEP5hNUdhg4&bids=51252.221702217&type=2&subid=0" width="1" border="0" />Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1138306100026821232006-01-26T12:08:00.000-08:002006-01-26T12:15:06.106-08:00Do you see a worm?<a href="http://www.bostonist.com/attachments/boston_jon/bostonmuseum.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.bostonist.com/attachments/boston_jon/bostonmuseum.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.bostonist.com/">Bostonist</a> looks at a museum and sees a worm:<br /><br />"...our first reaction to seeing the architectural rendering of the proposed structure was that its smooth, curvilinear shape reminded us of a gigantic smiling earthworm emerging from the expressway tunnel underneath the greenway."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bostonist.com/archives/2006/01/24/lumbricus_terrestris.php">Bostonist: Lumbricus Terrestris</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.sympac.com.au/~langlang/pics/worm.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.sympac.com.au/~langlang/pics/worm.jpg" border="0" /></a>But this is nothing compared to the real thing: the Giant Worm museum (aka <a href="http://www.wildlifewonderland.com/">Wildlife Wonderland</a>) in southern Australia, where visitors not only see <a href="http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dse/nrenpa.nsf/FID/-1B2C22395FE507434A256809001893D3?OpenDocument">the creature their region is famous for</a> rendered large alongside the Bass Highway, but they can even walk through the belly of the beast and get an idea of what it's like to be inside a worm. Wanna know more about the worm or the musuem? Yeah, you saw it coming: <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio?PID=30032&cgi=product&isbn=1565123379">read the book</a>.Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1138303958968704922006-01-26T11:32:00.000-08:002006-01-26T11:35:53.650-08:00The Origin of Feces<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5278/615/1600/worm%20castings.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5278/615/200/worm%20castings.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Washington City Paper helpfully provides a naturalist's guide to identifying the...er...droppings that locals may encounter on their walks. Conspiculously absent? Worm castings. Come on, people. Get it right.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/special/2006/poop0127.html">District Line . Washington City Paper</a>Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15533073.post-1136863621452299682006-01-09T19:27:00.000-08:002006-01-09T19:27:43.583-08:00Amateur Microscopy<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5183/1300/320/Fly%20Eye%20200x.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5183/1300/320/Fly%20Eye%20200x.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />is blogging about whatever fits under the microscope. How about a worm? Some dirt?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://amateurmicroscopy.blogspot.com/">Amateur Microscopy</a>Amy Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15568790144917039390noreply@blogger.com