Lowliest creature is highly important

Look up “worm” in any dictionary and you may well be surprised by the rather large amount of definitions on offer — everything from “a gnawing or insinuating force or agent that foments or slowly eats away”, to “slowly and stealthily insinuate oneself”, or even “any of various insect larvae having an elongated body”.

To call someone a worm tends to suggest that they are a person lacking moral fibre, a low-life of no great value, which seems pretty unfair to this humble unsung hero of the soil.

Earthworms till, separate and fertilise the soil, breaking down organic waste into plant-available forms, improving the soil structure and the nutrient and water-holding qualities of soil.