In Spring 2023, Keiron worked with the Tees-Swale: Naturally Connected (Yorkshire Dales) and Forest of Bowland AONB Hay Time Project to deliver earthworm education in the North of England, as well as surveying sites for earthworms in Lancashire and North Yorkshire.
The education programme included 2 entoLEARN education webinars that are available to view below.
Introduction To Earthworms
Known as the gardener’s best friend, it is widely recognised that earthworms are important creatures. However, few people realise that there are different kinds of earthworms doing different jobs, and the true level of their importance goes unrecognised. In the talk below talk, Keiron will take us on a journey into the weird yet wonderful world of worms. We’ll learn what makes an earthworm an earthworm and explore some of the fascinating aspects of their biology, ecology and behaviour, and discuss how not all earthworms are found below ground! We’ll look at some exotic earthworms from around the world and discover what the current status quo is with British earthworms.
Below you will find copies of the Annelid Taxonomy and Earthworm Ecosystem Services infographics used in the presentation and some useful links.
- Earthworm biology
- Life cycle of an earthworm
- Earthworm functions
- Earthworm ecology
- Earthworm diversity
- Flatworms
- Wriggling Into Recording: 10 Years of the National Earthworm Recording Scheme entoLIVE blog
- Festival Bowland events
Earthworms For Farmers
The productivity of agricultural systems is heavily reliant upon the condition of the soils below. Earthworms contribute to important soil processes and provide ecosystem services such as waste recycling, carbon and nutrient regulation, water flow regulation, soil aeration and soil structure maintenance. In the presentation below, Keiron introduces how different types of earthworms contribute to these agricultural benefits in different ways, what threats our earthworms face in agricultural landscapes and what farming practices might be better for supporting healthy earthworm populations.
Below you will find the Soil Formation& Soil Processes and Earthworms & a link to more events with the Tees-Swale Naturally Connect project.
Earthworms of the UK Part 1
The UK has 31 species of earthworms that can be found occurring in natural habitats that have been recorded to date. This presentation will explore these species and discuss what we know and what we don’t know about them. Within the Earthworms of the UK webinars, we’ll look at both common and are species, including which species have been introduced from other parts of the world and highlight some species where the UK population could potentially be of global significance.
This webinar will explore the following species:
- Allolobophora chlorotica
- Aporrectodea caliginosa
- Aporrectodea longa
- Aporrectodea nocturna
- Bimastos eiseni
- Bimastos rubidus
- Eisenia andrei
- Eisenia fetida
- Eiseniella tetraedra
- Lumbricus terrestris
More on earthworms
Biological Recording 