What a year it’s been with so many things to worry about! From Spotted Lanternflies to Murder Hornets, things outdoors lately also seem kind of scary! Unfortunately, there’s a garden invader many of us have, but many do not know about- a creature worming its way through North America!
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
Nicole, what great information. Living in western North Carolina, I fortunately have not so far discovered any of these miserable little creatures, although some “invisible” worms are making a buffet out of my tomato plants at this time. Like you, I love my hostas. In my case, so do the local deer, who graze freely on my 25 + acres. So why, oh why, do they insist on coming up to the absolute edge of my driveway and deck to lunch on my favorite specimens? But hey, I do love my deer as well, and the hostas always come back, so I get to enjoy them briefly every spring.
Hi Suzi, I love seeing the deer, too. I think they are beautiful. I also love seeing the babies in the spring and summer. But they do like to nibble my hostas. Try “Liquid Deer Fence”. Just spray it on and it keeps the deer at bay. I swear by it. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Thanks so much. You are definitely my kind of person!
Suzi
Well thank you, Suzi! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Wow, Nicole, I feel like I just took a mini-course in something that I didn’t even know existed. I really appreciate your write-up!….You may have helped me identify some problems that I could not identify because I didn’t know where to start….Your time and “research notes” are wonderful. I know you are very busy, so I especially appreciate this. Thank you, Mary Frances Rauch, living in central Ohio.
Hi Mary, thank you! One thing I love about gardening is that even if you are a seasoned gardener, gardening for years, there is still always something new to learn. Enjoy the gardening season! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Thanks so much for this valuable information! I will be very diligent in watching out for these buggers.
Hi Bonnie, thank you…they are kind of pretty with the sheen to their skin, but what nasty damage they can do! Thanks for reading and commenting. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Thank you for all this information. I don’t know if we have these worms here but I’ll be checking it out. It could explain the mysterious dying of some of our plants. Or we have yet another invader. Anyway, thanks for the lesson.
Hi Marlene, Thank you! Glad you found this helpful. If you have dying plants with no other obvious reasons, it certainly could be the problem. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
How interesting,
I though all earthworms were “good and helpful”
Those snake worms are gross. Thanks for vinegar and water information to dispose of them…
Hi Julie, Right? I thought the same too, but these worms are not good. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Wonderful, informative post, Nicole. I’ve never heard of these worms but I’m on the look-out now! Thanks to your research and photos, I know exactly what I’m looking for and what to do if I spot any.
Hi MaryJane, thank you so much! While they are slow moving, their spread is unfortunately very wide. Good to keep an eye out. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Hi, Nicole. Very interesting post. I haven’t heard of these worms but will definitely be on the lookout for them. I live in Lansing in the upper mountains of North Carolina. We garden a little. We have lots of hostas, but the deer eat them, even close to the house. We are trying to plant things that the deer won’t eat….lol. I enjoyed your post and will be reading some of your older posts. Stay safe and take care. jmp
Hi Joan, have you tried “Liquid Deer Fence”? I swear by it. I buy a gallon jug each year and use it the whole season. It is systemic so the deer won’t eat your hostas. I spray them a bit every couple of weeks. It won’t harm anything, just smells to high Heaven when you spray. It is sold at Home Depot, Tractor Supply and Lowes, and most garden stores. You know when it wears off because the edges of the plant might get a little nibble as the deer test it. Use it until the winter and in the spring when things first start popping up. Thanks so much for stopping by the blog! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
O lordy..what will we import next..love your flowers and your education..keeps us on our toes.
Hi Donna, thank you! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Hi Nicole;
Ugh, I hope I never have these creatures in my yard. I like earthworms and nightcrawlers; good for garden and for fishing. Thanks for posting about these though, in case they show up somewhere close by, I can tell people what they are. Too bad there is no easy way to get rid of them. The frost this spring hurt most of my garden plants, the hostas, the tree lily’s and the iris’ were really hurt as they came up and were budding before the frost hit. Hopefully after this fall’s redo, we will have better luck in the spring.
Hi Sandi, I hear ya. Some years in the garden are unfortunately disappointing. There is always next year, yes. It reminds me of an old golf bumper sticker I saw: “I hate golf, I hate golf, nice shot, I love golf”. Thanks for reading and commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Thank you for the pictures! Especially of the worms. We know they are in Wisconsin, and now, thanks to your article and pics, we know what to watch for and what we can do. Thanks! Happy Gardening!
Hi Maria, thanks so much! I am glad you found the article informative! Happy gardening! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
So might we be able to rid them of peppermint oil? Peppermint oil kills roaches,spiders, and many more even ants.
Are they in Florida yet? Great content. Right now we have a ton of months. Walk and they are by the thousands cutting the pastures.
Thanks for your answers ahead.
Debra J Price
Hi Debra, I doubt it. I have not found anything on using that for them. So far, the only thing I have heard (and from multiple, reliable sources) is the use of saponins which irritate the skin of the worm. Dry mustard in water is also an irritant. Mix 1 tablespoon to a gallon of water, and spread over an area. The worms will come to the surface and then you can destroy them. Thanks for reading and commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Scary!!! Thank you for giving us the head’s up and what to look for in our soil.
Do they bit humans or animals such as cats and dogs in our personal spaces or wild animals in our forests? If so, what do we do?
Hi Jessica, good question, but no worries! They are harmless to touch and non-toxic. They do not bite. They are a nuisance in the damage that they do to our plants and forestry. Don’t be afraid to pick them up to destroy them such as in the vinegar- just be careful because they can shed their tails and regenerate. Thanks for stopping by the blog! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Good information thanks for sharing
Hi Vivian, you are welcome! Thanks for stopping by the blog! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Wow who knew ?
And frankly I don’t know if I would be able to tell the difference between them and good ole earthworms
Thank you for letting us farm girls know about this serious problem
Have a good summer and good luck all my fellow farm girls with this bad bad worm!
Hi Lisa, The jumping worms thrash about so much that you can’t mistake them. The “good ol’ earthworm” do not thrash about violently like the jumping worms. Also, the jumping worms slither quickly like a snake, other worms inch slowly. Have a good summer, too! Thanks for reading and commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Thank you for this information!!
I have seen these granule hills all over my yards from East Ga. to South West Ga & Then Coastal Carolina but had no idea an invasive worm was leaving the “pile”. Now I will be destroying them. I’ve been laying down weed block fabric topped with cypress mulch to form paths for two days i our 92-95 degree days. I have seen these jumpers as I’ve dug out the dreaded Smilax! The heat index has been 100 to 105 & even 108 lately.
Hi Judy, wow! My mom lives in GA and I know how hot it gets there…it is hard to be doing the work you are doing in that heat. I am glad you found the blog informative! Thanks for reading and commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Thank you so much for this article!!! I will be on the lookout for this creature. I did the same type of control with 1000’s of Japanese Beatles in my yard when I first moved to my “farm”. I now have them under control and have just enough to feed to my ducks. I have not seen this worm, but hope I never do. Would you suggest purchasing bare root plants?
Hi Deborah, You are so welcome…I am glad you enjoyed this post. A bit of advice on the Japanese beetles…(chickens also love them, by the way), do not buy the “beetle bags”, as they can actually be counterproductive and draw the beetles to you. The bags can also hurt the beneficial insects. To answer your question, yes, bare root plants are a good idea, as are plants from seed. This helps keep the worm spread at bay. Thanks for reading and commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Wow, Nicole! Thank you for warning me about the Jumping Snake Worm! My husband and I retired 9 yrs ago and built a house on a country lot that I have been “building” a yard, flower beds, and raised gardens on here in Iowa. A couple yrs ago I was so delighted to see my composting and hard work landscaping paying off by seeing earth worms!
This year, I could not get heirloom tomato transplants or any good tomato transplants so my crop has done poorly. I also ordered special buttercup seeds and the plants were doing so well. But – while gone a week camping (yes, we can camp in Iowa!), cut worms invaded! I was able to slit the stems, remove what worms I could, and buried the stems. So far it has worked! No need for Sevin! Do you know a natural way to help?
We are in desperate need of rain here. My son is a farmer and our corn and soybeans really need the moisture now!
So nice to catch your blog, Nicole! Your photos are beautiful and your advice! Thank you!
Hi Karilyn, Thank you…I am glad you found this post helpful. Iowa has always been on my “bucket travel to” list. I even sent away for the state travel brochure 15 years ago! Someday I hope to go there to visit; it seems so beautiful and the people I have met from there are so nice. As for the cutworms, here is some organic advice I can give you. First, I make little “bases” or “collars” for bottoms of the plants. This works well for tomatoes, cabbage, peppers and cauliflower. Cut the bottom square off of the bottom of a paper milk carton, then cut a slit in one side. Slide the base of the plant into the slit so the base or bottom of the plant near the ground is inside the middle of the square. Second, use coffee grounds or egg shells on the ground around your plants. Bt is organic and can be used in the fight against cutworms, and I also like to use “Surround” , aka organic kaolin clay, mixed with a little water on the plants (use a teat sprayer from the feed store, that way you can spray the undersides). I also plant basil and french marigolds between plants for organic pest management. I hope you all get the rain you need! Thank you so much for reading and commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I have been thinking about these worms a lot, since I read your article. Has anyone tried DE, Diatomaceous Earth? It is used to kill soft bodied insects. They die by a thousand cuts and dehydration.
Hi Deborah, DE can help with cutworms, but I have found no info that it works for jumping worms, unfortunately. I use it quite often at home and it is great in the chicken coop as well. Good question! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Well, I can honestly say I learn something new everyday now that I have read this narrative. Thank you. I had no idea anything of this sort existed. I’ll bet people who don’t garden have never heard of it either. I do garden, but am clueless about this species of critter. lol Thank you. I enjoyed this and will definitely keep an eye open.
Hi Carol, I think I had started to see them a while before I realized what they are. Now I know what to look for before they damage something to the point of no return. I am so happy to have my hostas back! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I never have heard of these worms Nicole. Thank you, very informative information.
Hi Linda, thanks1 Next time I see you I can show you one. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Awesome post! I, too, live in CT, and will be on the lookout. I’ll look around my yard and hope I don’t find evidence of their being here. Thanks so much. I never knew about theses worms and like others, thought great! Worms are good. But apparently not all.
Thanks for an awesome blog and lesson 🙂
Hi Mary Ellen, thank you so much! Unfortunately, they are very concentrated in Connecticut. Keep your eyes open. Thanks for reading and commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Hope the worms don’t get here, in Michigan. Having trouble picking off the Japanese beetles. They are on everything.
Hi Carolyn, Hope you don’t get the worms, either. They are awful. Japanese beetles can be a problem. They grow from grubs in the yard, so if you treat the grubs, you will see less beetles next year (chickens love grubs). If I didn’t mention it before, make sure you do not use those “bag a bug” traps…they actually draw them to your property. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I did not know this about those worms but I’ll pay attention to my flower beds a little closer now. Thanks!
Hi Denise, you are welcome.I pray that you do not get them in your area! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I got those years ago, sold as fishing bait and wondered at the time why they looked different. Not knowing better I but them in my garden, and now I understand why I’ve lost my fruit trees, slowly.
Hi Susan, I am so sorry to hear you have lost your fruit trees. I think I may have gotten some in the garden with this year’s mulch, or the swarm we had has moved. They are really awful creatures. Good luck with your trees, and thank you for reading and commenting. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Before you were born I went fishing in Texas and put worms on my fish hook! Very slimy and gross. I am impressed with so much information about worms! Liked the pretty pictures. Love,
Mother
Hi Mom, I am laughing because I still can not imagine you fishing with worms! They are slimy, but after having an indoor worm garden and raising a child who loved playing with bugs and critters outside, things like this do not gross me out anymore! Not much really does in fact! Glad you liked the post. Watch your yard and garden- these invasives are awful. Love, Nicole
Very informative article. Live the pictures!
Thank you, Debby! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Thanks for the info…I don’t think that I have these in my yard…yet. Because of your info I will be on the lookout. I live in a very, very sandy area of Auburn, ME. The ground is similar to that soil in the Desert of Maine in Freeport…same vein of sand/dirt left by the glaciers.
Hi Deb, Definitely keep an eye out, though they may not be found up there yet. I will have to research. You are very lucky they are not a pest for you – they are awful little creatures. Love that part of Maine! So beautiful! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole