Second Nature

Exploring the Creepy Crawlers Down Under

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By Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center his time of year is very exciting for the naturalists amongst us. Wherever we look there is something happening, whether it be birds making nests, mice scurrying through the fields or butterflies dancing from one flower to another. Yet there is another world that comes alive at this time of the year, full of excitement, and wonder. The world I am talking about is the ground below our feet. The soil, which provides anchorage and nutrients for all the plants we see, is also a world unto its own. In the soil we can find lots of interesting creatures – bugs, insects, spiders, worms, even an occasional snail! All of these soil animals are vitally important in maintaining the ecology of our soil, aerating the soil, decomposing nutrients and eating other animals that harm plants. However, due to their often creepy reputation, they tend to be overlooked and easily forgotten because we do not see them in their busy lives underground. Here’s a fun and simple activity to explore

what goes on in the world beneath our feet. Be a creepy crawler explorer! All you need is a small trowel, a piece of white paper or fabric for closer observations, a magnifying glass and perhaps a clipboard and pencil. Go outside and find a patch of soil. Dig carefully through the leaf litter or plants to reveal the world beneath the soil. Look carefully – lots of these insects are so small they look just like a grain of dirt moving a long. Count to see how many different creepycrawly animals you are able to see and try to draw a picture of each one before returning it to the soil to do its valuable work. If you’re really adventurous you might want to find a compost pile and dig through that. So many people might look at compost and think how absolutely disgusting it is, with rotting food and decaying plants, but to the scientist or biologist it is a wonder to behold. Every creature you see is busy at the work of decomposition, returning the valuable nutrients to the soil.



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In a compost bin you are likely to see many worms. Besides aerating the soil so that oxygen can reach all and feed respiration, worms also eat through the compost and their droppings, referred to as castings, are rich and fertile and feed the soil. You can make a mini worm farm to observe this even closer in an empty one-liter soft drink bottle. Ask an adult to cut the top off the plastic bottle so you can add layers of soil, dry leaves and vegetable scraps. Finish with a layer of sand (about 3 centimeters). Add about 5-10 worms. After a week or two you should be able to see the pathway of the worms and the effect they have as they aerate the soil. See what happens to the layer of sand. For more fun and adventures, check out BEEC’s Nature Explorers summer camps. Visit BEEC.org for more information.