Get to know your worms

“Not only do earthworms support crop productivity, but surface living worms are good prey sources for declining bird species; topsoil worms help aggregate soils, reducing their erodibility; and drainage worms, the deep-burrowing species, support water infiltration and deep crop rooting.” So says Jackie Stroud, NERC Soil Security Fellow at Rothamsted Research, who will start off by explaining how earthworms are essential for soil health and then, after a quick bite to eat, demonstrate how you can contribute valuable data to a national earthworm survey - the 30 minute worm count. Come for one session or the other or stay for both, it's up to you.