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| Examining the Red Wigglers. |
Jasper went to
Tryon Creek to find out all about the mysterious art of vermiculture, or composting with a worm bin. Matthew Collins, their Education Coordinator, gave a wonderful presentation. He let the kids dig through Tryon Creek's own worm bin, revealing the worms hard at work. He took them out to see the leaf mounds made by worms on the forest floor. And then he helped everyone to make their very own worm bins to take home, complete with genuine Red Wigglers! Tryon Creek has arguably the best nature programs in town, and this was no exception. I'm so glad they were open to doing this class and didn't consider it off-mission. Worms are a vital part of a healthy ecosystem, whether in the park or in our home worm bins, and they are fascinating to observe. Although I must add that their place in the ecosystem is not without controversy. Many species in North America today are actually invasive species from Europe, which have different habits and different impacts on the ecosystem than the native species. Whatever the benefits or challenges of their impact, they seem to be here to stay. And they are glad to help you keep food scraps out of landfills, and turn them into earthworm casings that will make your plants very happy, with surprisingly little work on your part.
Mr. Collins explained that everything you might want to know, and probably a whole lot more, can be
found within the pages of the classic book, "Worms Eat My Garbage", by Mary Appelhof. I checked it out from the library and definitely think it's worth owning
for a reference. But I'm glad we took his class, because he really simplified the process of getting started in vermiculture and made it quite straightforward. And it was simply brilliant to taylor the class to families, who benefit both from worms turning food scraps into fertilizer, and from the tremendous educational value of watching it happen. Keep your eyes peeled for more worm bin classes to be offered there.
Jasper went to Tryon Creek to find out all about the mysterious art of vermiculture, or composting with a worm bin. Matthew Collins, their Education Coordinator, gave a wonderful presentation. He let the kids dig through Tryon Creek's own worm bin, revealing the worms hard at work. He took them out to see the leaf mounds made by worms on the forest floor. And then he helped everyone to make their very own worm bins to take home, complete with genuine Red Wigglers! Tryon Creek has arguably the best nature programs in town, and this was no exception. I'm so glad they were open to doing this class and didn't consider it off-mission. Worms are a vital part of a healthy ecosystem, whether in the park or in our home worm bins, and they are fascinating to observe. Although I must add that their place in the ecosystem is not without controversy. Many species in North America today are actually invasive species from Europe, which have different habits and different impacts on the ecosystem than the native species. Whatever the benefits or challenges of their impact, they seem to be here to stay. And they are glad to help you keep food scraps out of landfills, and turn them into earthworm casings that will make your plants very happy, with surprisingly little work on your part.
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