Earthworms, Dirt, and Rotten Leaves

I got a book called "Earthworms, Dirt, and Rotten Leaves: an Exploration in Ecology" by Molly McLaughlin and it didn't take me long to realize that much of what she says is very different from what I've learned in my explorations thus far. For instance, on page 13 she writes that earthworms can "often grow new sections if they're cut at a certain part of their bodies".The fact is that they rarely are able to regenerate the lost sections, ninety-nine percent of the time they die. On page 18 she writes about why worms avoid the sunlight, but says nothing about how they get paralyzed in bright sunlight.
Page 27 is simply confusing. She suggests some foods to feed to worms and gauge which ones they like better. The food she suggests are: "coffee grounds, cornmeal, pieces of onion, cabbage, lettuce or other vegetables, bits of fruit, hamburger, or crumbled-up egg". Whether she means eggshells, hard boiled eggs, raw eggs, Easter eggs, or scrambled eggs is left to the creative interpretation of her readers.
She tells us on page 29 that earthworms eat the soil as they tunnel along, while everywhere else I have read tells me that they do not eat the soil, although it is a common myth.
This last thing isn't an issue with her facts, but I find it really annoying how she says 'probably' so often. In some chapters it's in almost every sentence!
I do realize that this book was written for younger people, so I did forgive a lot, but she should definitely have gotten her facts straight before she wrote a book.

Worm Moon

I found out something interesting today. The full moon in March is known as the 'Worm Moon'. The Farmer's Almanack says that the moon is named after the lowly earthworm because;

"As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. To the settlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon, and was considered to be the last full Moon of winter."

The full moon, or worm moon, this month is going to be on March 8. So be on the lookout for the earthworms and robins!