Jumping worms and other invasive species can wreak havoc on your yard. But sometimes, nature’s cleaning crew swoops in to get it under control.
That’s what happened to this Reddit user, who shared a video (if the embed does not display below, click here) of their surprise visit from a hawk in r/invasivespecies.
The video shows the hawk eating a couple of worms and looking around.
“Came home just in time to catch this cutie eating 10-12 jumping worms,” the original poster said in the caption. “Thanks for the assist little bud!!”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that jumping worms are known by many names. They’re called “jumping” because they thrash around, and they’re considered invasive across the U.S.
In fact, the northern U.S. doesn’t have any native earthworms at all. Glaciers during the last ice age, which occurred approximately 11,700 years ago, froze all the earthworms in the region. They haven’t repopulated the area since then.
Jumping worms, however, can cause mass disruption in our ecosystems. They love to eat fallen leaves, which are a key component of plant growth everywhere. The USDA refers to this as the “litter layer,” where many small animals reside.
Suppose jumping worms eat an area’s litter layer, which leaves a lot of native species in danger. It means our gardens and even our food supply chains are at risk.
“The best way to prevent future invasions is to avoid moving earthworms around,” said Mac Callaham, a Forest Service researcher who specializes in soils, to the USDA.
While they can’t do everything, hawks like the one in the OP’s video (and other birds) can help a lot. Because of animals like them, they can help keep your home’s soil quality healthy and keep jumping worm populations down.
“Must have been super cool to watch a hawk go to town like that,” one Reddit user said.
“i love hawks,” another person commented. “i know they’re majestic birds of prey but they’re so silly looking with their white pants.”
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