Jason E. Andersen

Bonus Fun Fact: Minnesota and Iowa, as well as much of the United States and Canada do not have native earthworms. The ones that we do have are introduced/naturalized or invasive. 

As part of my new job, I am doing new employee conservation training. These are the basic classes to learn about soil, water, and other conservation topics. During one of the soil classes, I learned that Minnesota doesn’t have native earthworms. My response was “whaaat?” And then I looked into Iowa and learned that Iowa also does not have native earthworms. My response was “whaaaaaaaat!?” Apparently, earthworms don’t do well in the cold, which makes sense. In the northern states, it seems they were likely all wiped out by the glaciers. Since then, it’s only been earthworms from other locations to come and take their place.

I always thought we had both native and introduced earthworms. Granted, I am pretty dumb as far as invertebrates go, but this was a bit of a surprise. This week, I am less dumb about earthworms.