UW–Madison Arboretum ecologist Brad Herrick displays several jumping worms. Photo: Eric Hamilton

“From Fitchburg to Governor’s Island and Monona to Middleton, teams of volunteers dispersed across the Madison area Sept. 10 in search of small, pink, wriggling invaders: jumping worms.

“Hunched over gardens, lawns and public parks, the teams poured a mustard tea onto the soil and scooped up the worms that surfaced to escape the irritant. True to their name, the invasive earthworms squirmed and leapt about before being counted and placed in plastic containers for transport. Back at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum, scientists would identify the species and pair the location with notes taken by the citizen scientist volunteers.”

Read the full UW News story by Eric Hamilton, September 15, 2017