Charlie Stephens, three, at the Column Nursery, Shrewsbury, with some worms

Three-year-olds in Shropshire are embracing the spirit of Charles Darwin’s bicentenary by nurturing one of his favourite animals – the earth worm.

As part of a Shropshire Wildlife Trust project, 30 nursery schools in Shrewsbury have each received a free wormery, complete with up to 1,000 worms, and a further 35 nurseries will be getting them this year.

See also: Expert tells of admiration for Darwin

See also: Darwin celebrations planned

Darwin’s fascination with earthworms began in 1837 on his return from his five-year voyage on The Beagle. Walking along in the countryside he stopped to watch a worm very slowly pull a leaf into its burrow. 

He was instantly fascinated by the creature and went on to dedicate 40 years of his life to the exploration of a worm’s world. 

He and his children carried out many experiments, including watching worms pull paper shapes into burrows; he even played the bassoon to them, curious to find out if they could hear. 

Supported by the Darwin Community Arts Fund, Darwin’s Worms aims to engender the same fascination for worms in a new generation.

The Shropshire and Telford Master Composters, a dedicated group of volunteers, are helping the children look after their worms. 

“The wormery is such an environmentally-friendly community that it becomes a tangible starting point for even very young people to begin thinking about lifestyles and how we deal with waste,” said Sara Bellis, mastermind of the wormery project and Shropshire Wildlife Trust’s people and wildlife manager. 

“Many of the children involved in the project have enjoyed holding a wriggling worm; they’ve watched them eating apple peel, banana skins, in fact, any uncooked leftovers from snack breaks and lunches. They soon become absorbed in worm-watching, just as Darwin did.” 

The children’s care and the worms’ hard work will result in nutritious worm compost, which will be used in nursery gardens to grow fruit and vegetables.

By Russell Roberts