Where the worm turned…
This is just a short post about an extraordinary phenomenon that I witnessed earlier tonight on my walk (Saturday 23rd March 2019). I’m writing this past midnight into Sunday – because I’ve been avidly researching online whether earthworms glow? as I can hardly believe what I saw with my own eyes——the very thing! I’m glad my nineteen year old son was with me to see it too – because it is something that we may never see again – a phosphorescent earthworm that glowed brilliant WHITE (not green as it’s name might suggest) – Microscolex phosphoreus.
We spotted the glowing ‘thing’ in the grass verge at the side of the road.
My son whipped out his phone and switched the torch on – and shone it on whatever it was that we could see shining brilliantly in the darkness. On close inspection – it revealed its true form – an ‘ordinary’ earthworm going about the night shift. We were absolutely taken aback! Wow! after Wow! after Wow! is all that we could exclaim in total disbelieve at what we were seeing!!! And while all our ‘Wowing’ was going on – the earthworm quietly retreated back into the soft, moist soil and disappeared from sight before we had even thought to take a photograph!!! Of course, retreating back into the dark is the earthworm’s natural defence to having a bright light shone in its ‘face’ – as they have ultra light-sensitive skin. ‘Brother Worm’ must have thought the sun had come out early!
Anyway – this post confirms that ‘ordinary’ earthworms that can glow in the dark – really do EXIST. Next time – I’m gonna get a photograph – cos I now know the exact spot where the lil critter comes up for air…
And no – it wasn’t a stone; stones don’t writhe and wriggle!!!
Here are a couple very interesting links if you want to read more about bioluminescent earthworms – I certainly do.