CUTTLE BROOK LOCAL NATURE RESERVE EARTHWORMS (and other creepy-crawlies)
A strange subject for an information poster! However, worms are of vital importance to the health and fertility of any soil, be it a garden or our Local Nature Reserve. At this time of year worms are visibly active creating a winter store of food by pulling fallen leaves down underground, where they are eaten gradually or left for future needs when other nourishment is in short supply. Look carefully at some fallen leaves, many will be stuck upright in the soil with a muddy patch at the base. Worms at Work! They improve and aerate soil structure by their burrowing and feeding, passage of food through a worm’s body binds soil particles into crumbs which helps drainage, of great importance in areas of heavy clay such as this. Worms are also an important food-source for birds such as thrushes, blackbirds and moles. Other ground-living insects such as those illustrated alongside also help by eating smaller organisms or pests such as soil mites, as well as breaking down organic matter.	(illustration courtesy The Royal Horticultural Society© Dorling Kindersley 1992)
Cuttle Brook Local Nature Reserve is owned by Thame Town Council and managed by Cuttle Brook conservation Volunteers