When I was told as a child that severed earthworms regenerate and become two separate creatures, I followed my father around our suburban garden as he dug over the rose beds. I watched the earth as it was turned. I crouched with my tin pail, lifted the earthworms like refugees and gentled them to the shed for examination. Later, when they wriggled away to continue their earthy pilgrimage, many of them didn’t make it. In spite of what the folklore tells us, regeneration only happens in certain cases; a worm may regrow the lost part of its body, but usually only one half will survive, as long as ...
There are approximately 1055 more words in this article.
To read the rest of this article, please buy this issue, or join the Resurgence Trust. As a member you will receive access to the complete archive of magazines from May 1966.
If you are already a member, please Sign in
