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Worms?
Feb 14, 2016 15:40:26 GMT
Post by NellyDee on Feb 14, 2016 15:40:26 GMT
Did not quite know where to post this - op!
I have an area, been mostly flooded and now very frozen with patches of snow on. Dotted over the surface are these what I think are worm casts? Maybe something else? I am just surprised that these are here (have seen similar on beaches). Any ideas?
Worm cast in frozen water by Helen Skelton, on Flickr
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Worms?
Feb 16, 2016 14:23:05 GMT
Post by Cotham Marble on Feb 16, 2016 14:23:05 GMT
I think those 'holes' are caused by drips from over hanging branches. I can't tell from the photo if the holes are in the ice or the underlying mud but the effect is the same when the surface is changing between frozen and slush and gets hit by drips from ice melting off the branches in sunshine, and then everything freezes quickly again in a chill wind.
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Worms?
Feb 16, 2016 16:18:47 GMT
Post by NellyDee on Feb 16, 2016 16:18:47 GMT
Yep I think you are right. Actually I know you are, a friend went down there and scraped a bit up to bring back up and show me I was wrong:)
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Worms?
Feb 17, 2016 13:55:02 GMT
Post by Cotham Marble on Feb 17, 2016 13:55:02 GMT
Yep I think you are right. Actually I know you are, a friend went down there and scraped a bit up to bring back up and show me I was wrong:) Still a pretty picture. I'm not sure what the lowest temperature worms can be active at, though from below10C they start to become sluggish and below 5C most are fairly inactive. Whether it applies to other worm species I don't know but Tiger worms have an antifreeze capacity - I've found bundles of the white fry fozen solid which return to life on warming, seemingly none the worse.
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Worms?
Feb 17, 2016 16:15:44 GMT
Post by NellyDee on Feb 17, 2016 16:15:44 GMT
Nature is amazing.
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