What are these worms all over my garden and what can I do?

These are fall army worms.  In September 2015, I noticed that my lawn seemed to be moving. I squinted for a second and thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but when I went out to the yard and bent down for a closer look, it became apparent: a zillion tiny worms were having a grand ol’ time feasting on my Bermudagrass!

I discovered that not one square inch of my garden didn’t have a few worms.  They ate the grass, but not the weeds. They tasted pink periwinkles but avoided the red.

A little research through Extension resources gave a pesticide option if I wanted to treat, but my esteemed colleagues also very wisely pointed out that there really was no reason to use a pesticide in a home lawn situation.

 

The worms were only eating the leaves of the grass, not the rhizomes or the roots, so in essence, they were acting like little lawn mowers. Fabulous, I thought. I won’t have to mow my lawn again until next spring!

After a relaxing day outdoors doing absolutely no work in the garden, I headed inside for the evening. And just when I thought the day couldn’t get any better, I looked out the window and saw that my yard was filled with hungry birds, of all types and species, arriving as if to a banquet.

I know that many people are squeamish about worms… and bugs, and spiders, and frogs, and snakes, but all creatures have their place in the world. And even though, understandably, you might not want to spend the day taking videos of them, allowing them to scurry under a rock, behind some leaves, or even scooping them up in your kitchen and ushering them safely back outdoors where they belong, would be a truly amazing thing to do.