5.11.2011

A Worm's Tale

Preface:
1. It's been raining a lot here.
2. We have a lot of giant worms in our yard, like this one:


The other morning, I stepped out onto the front step after an overnight rain that threatened to resume at anytime. Much to my surprise, I saw a large worm writhing on the step (see arrow below for approximate location).


Note that the step is elevated above the main ground level. I thought to myself, "How the heck did that worm get there?" Surely a worm couldn't climb a sheer concrete wall to get there, could it? I posed these questions to my wife and my visiting sister. "Maybe it fell off the roof," they suggested. Then how did it get on the roof? "Maybe a bird dropped it?" Well, the worm seems quite alive and uninjured, but it's possible. It could also be that the wind deposited there, I guess.

I mulled this question for much of the morning. But that night, I was out on another similar step on the other side of the house, and saw a worm there. The last inch or two of the worm was dangling over the edge. I put it on the ground, and it started to move back up the side of the step. I had my answer. Amazingly, worms can climb a sheer concrete wall. Good for them. Why they would do that is another story.

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