Protect Your Garden: Eliminate the Invasive Jumping Worm

An invasive type of worm from Asia is posing a new challenge to Midwest gardeners. In gardens and yards, these jumping worms are wreaking havoc, so you need to take precautions to save your prized plants. Because they are tenacious and lack natural predators in the United States, these worms can proliferate quickly and cause destruction wherever they go.

The Asian jumping worms eat the soil, leaving it depleted and in bad condition. Their insatiable appetite modifies the structure of the soil, causing it to lose moisture retention and become depleted of nutrients. This makes the soil more susceptible to erosion, which further complicates the situation for plants trying to grow.

These worms may be really scary in addition to harming the soil. Despite the term suggesting they may “jump,” they move more like a twisted snap, which contributes to their unsettling appearance. Several states have acted to stop this dangerous invasion because they understand how important it is to handle this matter. Wisconsin, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Oklahoma are among the states that are impacted.

If you see these worms, you should get rid of them immediately to protect your garden. By stealing nutrients from the soil, these invasive worms deprive nearby plants and animals of their food supply. The local ecosystem deteriorates in the absence of a suitable habitat, which causes a decrease in the number of plants and animals.

There are steps you may take to fight these worms if you live in one of the impacted states. The University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum’s Brad Herrick, an ecologist, advises sprinkling a mixture on the ground to encourage the worms to come up for air and leave their underground homes. This technique can shield your garden from them and help lower their population.

A distinguishing feature of the Asian jumping worm’s body is a white ring that is situated near to its head. It’s best to get rid of these worms right away if you find them. Any mature worms you find should be disposed of after being placed in a plastic bag and left in the sun for at least 10 minutes. Furthermore, it’s crucial to avoid buying these worms for composting, gardening, or bait. Since their eggs cannot withstand temperatures higher than 104 degrees Fahrenheit, only purchase mulch or compost that has been thoroughly heated to reduce the chance of their spreading.

We can preserve the health and vibrancy of our ecosystems as well as our gardens by acting proactively to combat this invasive plant. By working together, we can end the jumping worm’s destructive reign and bring harmony back to our Midwest gardens. To find out more about these invasive worms and their effects, watch the video below:

Céline Dion Shares a Heartbreaking Glimpse Into Her Battle With Illness

Céline Dion’s documentary, I Am: Celine Dion, has been finally released, offering a rare and candid look into her daily struggles. In one particularly vulnerable moment, Dion shares her experience of suffering a terrifying seizure that lasted several minutes.

The documentary captures a tense moment as Céline Dion undergoes a medical evaluation. The Grammy-winning artist has been struggling with spasms linked to stiff person syndrome, a rare and progressive neurological disorder.

Lying down on a massage table, 56-year-old Dion experiences spasms. Her doctor, Lobo, cautions that these spasms could “lead to a crisis.”

Soon after, the icon begins to experience a severe seizure. Her doctor swiftly calls for another medical team member to give her a medication used to treat nervous system disorders.

At that moment, Dion can be heard groaning in pain as she shakes uncontrollably while lying face down. In a startling moment, Dion appears wide-eyed and unable to move independently.

Despite her condition, she remains conscious and manages to signal her awareness by weakly squeezing one of the medical expert’s hands.

Following the administration of two doses of a nasal spray, Dion starts to recover from the seizure. The doctor mentions that if she hadn’t responded, they would have needed to rush her to the hospital.

As the My Heart Will Go On singer seems to regain her composure, she confesses to everyone in the room that experiences like these leave her feeling “so embarrassed.”

Describing her horrible experience, the singer says, “I don’t know how to express it, like, it’s just … you know, like, to not have control of yourself?” Her doctor, Lobo, explains that the likely trigger for the seizure was Dion’s recent session in the studio where she had been singing, which overstimulated her brain.

Dion replied, “Well, what am I gonna do? If I can’t get stimulated by what I love, and then I’m gonna go onstage and, like, you’re gonna put the pulse oximeter on me, and you’re gonna turn me on my back?”

Céline revealed her stiff person syndrome diagnosis back in December 2022. The star had to cancel tour dates in Europe, postpone her Las Vegas residency scheduled for October 2021, and later cancel her North American tour.

We admire Céline Dion’s determination and strength in the face of the formidable challenges she has encountered. Her life has been a journey fraught with difficulties from a young age, and here are seven major struggles that have shaped her into the inspirational icon she is today.

Preview photo credit I Am: Celine Dion / Sony Music and co-producers