Wormcasts

The Isle of Wight Land Care project (www.landcare.island2000.org.uk) set out its stall in the marquee at the IW Hedgelaying Competition on Saturday 24th February. All sorts of serious (but free) bits of paper were on offer to help farmers look after the soil and water on their land - titles like 'Ditch management' and 'Understanding buffer strips' were disappearing fast from the display tables.

Several people asked what the cute furry animal in one of the photos was - a water vole, still common here because there are no mink (as long as those ditches are properly managed).

Meanwhile the wet soil below me was sucking the heat from my feet. Only when I stood on the woodchips (put down to keep boots and mud apart) did they recover. A practical demonstration of the insulating power of mulch.

Outside, the hedgelaying competitors were doing a more public demonstration of a practical skill - the craft of keeping hedges in good condition for wildlife, livestock fencing, and of course soil conservation. There's more on hedges at the National Hedgelaying Society's website, www.hedgelaying.org.uk/.

But the best moment for me was when a young visitor pointed in excitement and correctly identified another photo - 'That's an earthworm!'
Charles Darwin wrote his last book about worms, and how they help to make soil - you can read it online at http://darwin-online.org.uk/EditorialIntroductions/Freeman_VegetableMouldandWorms.html.

Here's to the mighty earthworms. Long may they eat the soil.