As if the locust swarm of 2020 wasn't enough, America is now being re-introduced to jumping worms. Otherwise known as "crazy worms" or "snake worms," the East Asian species is rapidly spreading across Minnesota through gardens, lawns and forests.
"They live in leaf litter and just the very top layer of the soil, so if you if you startle them you might think it’s a snake because they’re very fast and they have a snake-like kind of motion," Nicole Flowers-Kimmerle, a horticulture professor at the University of Illinois shared with FOX 5. "If they’re threatened, they can shed their tail."
Kimmerle notes that the species was first sold as fishing bait, but is now deemed highly invasive.
According to FOX 5, jumping worms are four to eight inches long and have dark, metallic bodies with a white band around their center, in opposition to regular earthworms that have a pink band. Expert sources told FOX 5 that the worms are known for eating the top most layer of soil and removing the nutrients required for plants to grow.
The Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association told FOX 6 that the worms can be transferred through compost, mulch, and plants. If you come into contact with one of these worms, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources recommends killing them to prevent further invasion.