Worm turning.
Saw him up ahead.
Squirming and jerking across the sidewalk.
No. No eye contact.
Continue with deliberation.
Don’t slow down.
Just room to wiggle by.
Molly was bound to lunge with wolfish smile? (Shorten the leash.)
He didn’t look strong enough to withstand eager-to-play dog paws or playful nips.
Passing quickly, yet unable to stop a small glance.
He was already headed for trouble.
Pavement heartlessly releasing several days of scorching heat.
Probably crawled out enticed by the early morning coolness of the sprinklers on the lawn.
Lured out of safe shadows.
It always happened.
A welcomed cooling shower.
But they always misjudge and always stay too long.
Out of hope?
Due to limited mental capacity? (Is that the phrase now? “Stupid” or “dimwitted” are unkind.)
And the spastic jerking. (Oh, probably poor word choice, but it is accurately descriptive here.)
Arching trying minimize surface areas touching the hot abrasive concrete.
Molly, rushed by: not unsympathetic, but her seagulls were calling from the docks.
But I.
I noticed.
A backwards glance.
Darn. It got worse!
There were ants, fire ants.
An attack was in progress.
The main force already surrounding the potential victim.
The swarm would be painful.
And long.
One bite hurts.
And many? With no place to run and grab soothing meat tenderizer?
Less than 10 seconds: 250 fire ant bites on one leg. Researcher kneeled in the wrong spot. (Image: US public domain/Daniel Wojcik /USDA.)
Was there a choice?
“Molly, wait!”
Grabbed a leaf and after several swipes managed to convince the confused earthworm to hang on for an airlift out of imminent danger.
Go! Worm! GO!
Dig into the dirt and live another day!
Note to Earthworm Community: Fulfill your role: Aerate the soil to allow roots to spread. Create all those fertile worm castings for plant nutrients. Rejoice in your tunnels as grateful plants whisper thanks. AND STAY OFF THE SIDEWALK!
It’s bad enough with all the acorns making the sidewalk a rolling obstacle course.
Pacing cautiously (seagulls ahead),
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge
More:
Fire ant bites – UGH! Don’t think they are bad? Check out these photos from Texas A&M research – on of an extreme infection on a hand from bites. All you ever wanted to know about fire ants on this site. Current info. about damage/harm to livestock/ farms/neighborhoods/people caused by fire ants.
They are relentless. Couldn’t abandon any living thing to them.
Oh, if you are interested in organic or sustainable gardening, you must know worms. Click the links under the worm pix.
You go on the most interesting walks that make Dorothy’s adventures seem tame. Acorns, Fire Ants & Worms– OH MY!
I should have checked with you before posting – that would have been a great title! Thanks for walking over
Sometimes you are so like me! Just a quick run back to rescue a worm.. we do not have fire ants .. thank goodness.. c
I know it’s just a worm, but it’s alive and it does have work to do and a place in the big picture….I had to go back. The fire ants? Not sure their function except to annoy. They are doing their best to stop them from going any more north. If anyone can do it, A & M will find a way.(a real agriculture research university). thanks for walking over to chat. Enjoy the day
Omigod. Can’t even imagine how painful those bites can be.
A picture speaks 1,000 words.
And the bites do burn like fire. Picnic very carefully. Thanks for wandering over.
So we pretty much depend on worms and bees for crops, food, life?
I will continue to be kind to them.
First rule of tinkering: save all the pieces. All pretty important little guys. Thanks for hiking over
I really do enjoy the way you write about your adventures! Thanks for another fun read.
P.S. Down here we use grits to get rid of the fire ants, just pour them onto the hill and they’ll do the rest!
Never tried grits. It might be hard to convince partner that ants should get them instead of him…he’ll be so excited if I buy some.Thanks for mentioning that!
Oh, I love worms! I can even manage to pick them up and send them back to the grass.
Worms are so determined – sometimes they even try to go back to the place you just rescued them from. Thanks for wiggling over
Loving worms. Nicely sorting my veg patch.
Not liking ants at all.
Or fleas. Currently waiting for flea bites to disappear
earthworms always welcomed in our garden…(Note to worms: stay well under ground, Molly loves to hunt…dirt is no deterrent) Hoping foa cool enough winter to halt mosquitoes and fleas here! Thanks for crawling over
Whew! Glad he was saved. Nothing deserves to die by fire ants. We typically get mounds around the house – the most recent one by the outdoor water faucet, which I discovered accidentally after planting my sandaled foot in it. This was right after they were unceremoniously evicted from our bedroom closet post their Festival de la Ant de Fuego 2012 (they like to make the raids aka festivals a yearly tradition)..
Fire ants seem pretty organize…maybe we should worry? You seem to have an advanced group of intelligent officers probing human defenses. Glad you had time to hop over.
You saved a life. That deserves a glass of wine
It’s just a little worm guy, but death by fire ants, nothing deserves that ( shiver). Yes, wine for all: Festival of the Great Worm Esape? Cheers!
Oh, how I hate fire ants. I still remember how my knee swelled up from ONE bite while in the field in Mexico. Fire is the perfect word to describe the pain they inflict.
I hope the worm survived thanks to your intervention!
Worm guy has a chance, now he’s got to make better choices. Nothing like a fire ant bite in a tender spot. Something you will remember. Thanks for digging around here
Those fire ant bites look horrible. That tip on using grits is one I’ll try to remember if I ever get an infestation.
It is a crisis for agriculture here. They will kill fawns and calves by swarming into noses, eyes and mouths.
I’m not sure grits will be allowed out of the kitchen here – but there’s alway hot water. Glad winter’s on the way – ants will be dormant-ish. Thanks for walking over to chat.
You’re a real hero, buddy; good for you!
Must save the worms…maybe useful in zombie attacks? Hey, zombies don’t really look where they are stepping, perhaps a fire ant defense? (Guess the trick would be training the ants to go after the right victim….and not turn.) Somehow ants don’t look real trustworthy….Thanks for hiking over.
I know all too well about the fire ants! And I do save worms too, as a gardener I know their value is immense. Casting your direction! (heheh doing your trick with the clever ‘thanks for visiting’ responses)
A few helpful earthworms save a ton of time and money in garden and yard. Glad you decided to plants some words here!
I rescue worms whenever I see them on the sidewalk–sometimes they get washed out of the soil during heavy rains. Poor little worms. But fire ants—yagggh. I feel so bad for any person or animal who gets attacked by those things.
Makes sense to rescue worm when you consider how much people pay for them! Walking around after a rain is always tricky because the ants have been flooded out of their homes and are looking for a dry spot to rebuild. They will actually climb on each other and float along in floods – so weird. Wrote a post on that research a bit back.
“Dependent on bubbles for life”: http://philosophermouseofthehedge.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/dependent-on-bubbles-for-life/
Serious survival instinct…only the tough survive? Well, doesn’t hurt to give the worms an assist now and then. Thanks for wiggling over!
Worms good. Fire ants bad.
Fire ants were one of the few things I disliked about living down south rather than places where we have “real” winters.
Hope they find some way to stop the nasty biters. Thanks for crawling over to chat
I thought the worm was going to get whacked in the end. Hooray! Fire Ants look like nasty bastards.
Can’t stomp the worm…fell badly about that one dissected in biology. Fire ants are awful..and smart. They organize to survive floods. Here’s a previous post on odd research about how they crawl into a huge ball and float along after floods.
http://philosophermouseofthehedge.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/dependent-on-bubbles-for-life/
Thanks for walking over to chat
A worm, no matter how small…
All parts of the puzzle…best not to lose pieces. Thanks for poking a comment this way
You so reminded me of Horton from Dr Seuss’ “Horton Hears a Who!” when he declared:
“A person’s a person, no matter how small!”
Oh, that Horton carefully holding Whoville – always liked that image….and used to wonder, what if our universe was just a spec of dust on someone’s shoe? (Probably read too much SciFi as a kid). Thanks for puzzling along
Let’s hope no one steps on the shoe-owner’s toes then!
Worms are the good guys! That was a good thing you did
I saw Austin watching the earth move the other day, so I went closer and saw 3 worms come up from under some loose bark. Austin was very bemused!
Observation is good. Molly tends to be a little too enthusiastic and not really certain how large her paws are (So typical of dogs, according to RC Cat) Thanks for keeping an eye on the worm guys, Austin!
The worst is when I’ve hit 35 mph and then see the little lizard looking at me through the windshield. Sigh. Pull over, stop, try to corral so it doesn’t run down into the cowling, get to grass, deposit under bush. Resume trip.
On a recent photo trip to Fairview Cemetery I didn’t pay enough attention. (Did I tell you this? I can’t remember. Fire ant venom destroys the brain.) They were six inches above my ankle in a flash – oh, it was nasty. I ended up with only about 8-10 bites, but I mean to tell you – they really do make your whole leg feel as though it’s on fire. It’s not just where they bite.
Hooray, re: the earthworm. Why they decide to trek across hot sidewalk I’ll never know, but it’s always nice to be able to lend a hand.
Boy you are lucky you didn’t get fever/ headache with that many bites. Must have been miserable for days. I actually used to know why worms head to concrete after a rain, but have forgotten…must double check that…recently they are probably thirsty? Thanks joining the critter rescue patrol
That was kind of you to rescue the worm. Ouch those fire ants are scary buggers.
It was jumping all around surrounded/outnumbered by ants. Didn’t seem fair fight. Thanks for crawling over to chat
And you do worm rescue, too! I’m glad you had compassion for the poor earthworm and relocated it to safer territory. I’ve not been bit by a fire ant, but if that picture is any indication, I’ll do whatever I can to keep it that way.
Avoid fire ants at all costs! (now how to educate the worms on that?) Thanks for wiggling over to chat
A worm rescuer! My kind of person!
Who knows what tiny actions will result in.(Hope it’s not fish bait. Actually kids are busy this time of year, so he’s probably safe for now)
Thanks for squirming along
I think the worms head to high ground after rain so they don’t drown… We rescue them, and most bugs and little things, why not, they’re all part of life. I’m always horrified if I inadvertantly end the life of something while I’m gardening or cleaning… I rescue spiders, they don’t get along with the G.O., but those fire ants, I think, are one of Mother Nature’s phenomena she needs to re-think…
Poor worms. The sidewalks are a life rafts, but as hot as our sun is, I think the wormy guys get stuck before they know it. Guess I feel I owe a debt from those dissections in bio labs.
Fire ants? Other than search and destroy agents, not sure why.
Thanks for wiggling over to chat