Darwin and the Earthworm

I've been busy writing an article on earthworms for a magazine called 'Plant Life' that is published
twice each year by the Grotek people who produce organic fertilizers.
As always, some material just doesn't fit even though, to me it's interesting and valuable. So here
is what didn't appear in the article.
"Charles Darwin, having finished his major work on the origin of the species, turned his attention
to earthworms. He noticed how, in England, whole Roman pavements had disappeared beneath the earth.
'How can this be?' he thought. He observed (something he could do remarkably well) and realized that
the action of many earthworms over many years had buried these large sections of tile flooring. He
went on to argue that the great civilizations of history were based on the work of earthworms and
couldn’t have developed and flourished without them. Take the Nile delta, he said, home of
the Egyptian civilization. Earthworms throw up thousands of tons of castings, contributing the
fertility of the region, which allowed its wealth to accumulate and to be the basis of one
of the world's greatest cultures. It was the basis of their study of mathematics and their
 construction of the pyramids.
Sound like a tall story? Earthworms in the Nile delta can deposit up to one thousand tons
of castings per acre."
Read Amy Stewart's book "The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms". It's
well researched, very readable and quite gobsmacking. 

An unreal coyote

I had an e-mail today from a gardening association. They suggested that if I had problems with pests in my garden – rabbits maybe or Canada geese or deer – I could now purchase a ‘faux coyote’. The concept set me back a bit because the word ‘faux’ doesn’t quite seem to match coyotes, but OK, I read on.

The faux coyote, pictured in a crouched, ready-to-spring position, was three dimensional and was supported on a stake which should be driven into the ground. To make it seem more realistic the tail was made of a lighter material that moved slightly in any wind. To make it seem even more realistic the write-up said, “sprinkle coyote urine all around your garden”.

Huh? Say what?

Where am I going to get coyote urine?

I tried the pet store. None. I tried the garden shop where I was invited to sit down for a while on this chair as the sun was very hot, wasn’t it?

I tried the nearest big box store where they sell absolutely everything – but not coyote urine.

I tried the vet where the assistant, who was rushed off her feet, suggested that it might be a do-it-yourself project.

Oh. Right. I should find a coyote, wrestle it to the ground and ask if it would kindly pee in this bottle. Or I should slip a leash on one, take it to my garden and ask it to please water liberally all around. I have met some coyotes in my time and I would not care for either course of action.

And besides, would I really like to be crawling about on my hands and knees in a garden soaked in coyote urine?