Learn how to ID jumping worms at Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners meeting May 16

Learn about invasive jumping worms at the Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners' monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 16, at Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave.

It will begin with a social gathering at 6:45 p.m., and a business meeting and presentation at 7 p.m.

Jumping worms were first seen in Illinois in 2015 and have been found in most counties throughout the state, including Kane County.

This month's presentation will be a video first given at the Garden and Landscape Expo on Feb. 8, 2020.

The presenter, Brad Herrick, is an ecologist at the University of Wisconsin Madison Arboretum.

Herrick explains the basic biology of earthworms and how to identify different kinds. He focuses on non-native, invasive species of jumping worms and discusses ways to prevent them from spreading from one environment to another. Jumping worms change the chemistry of the soil, devouring leaf litter and healthy organisms, and leaving behind denuded soil.

Herrick will discuss how to identify jumping worms, and how you can take precautions against them, including how to avoid spreading them from one environment to another.

Please join us for this informative presentation!

If you have any questions, contact BataviaPlainDirtGardeners@gmail.com.