Garden-variety earthworms

William Tivol tivol at
Thu Dec 28 18:12:58 EST 1995

Cynthia Donahey (cdonahey at wrote:

: I have earthworms in my garden.  Are they native to this part of the
: country (Zone 6, central Ohio), or have they been introduced.  I really
: don't dig anywhere else, so I'm just asking.

Dear Cynthia,
	My guess is that earthworms are native to virtually all parts of the
world's land mass (except deserts, Antarctica, etc.).  I think they must have
traveled to all parts of the world over a long period of time.  Prehaps when
the continents were all part of Pangaia, they burrowed into what became the
present-day continents.  There is just too much usable habitat for there not
to be earthworms occupying it.  If not earthworms, then some other life form
would surely have occupied the niche.  BTW there are tons (literally) of ne-
matodes in the soils of virtually all parts of the earth.
				Bill Tivol

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