It had been a while since some of the boundary stumps nearest the oak tree had been raised for inspection (in fact, these days they need a spade to help lever them up). It's like lifting the lid of a treasure chest, with different contents each time. But this week we focused on worms. Could we be more precise in identifying them, using a key?

Well, with eagle eyes and a ruler we followed the flowchart (attached below for you to try at home) and realised that our stumps provided a habitat for red-headed and black-headed earthworms, blue-greys (even if we think they should be called yellow-tails), and lob worms. 

Click here to find out why earthworms are so important for our planet.

How many different types can you spot in your garden? Take care when you're handling them - no tug-of-war, please! Make sure they're not out of the ground for too long. Perhaps sprinkle them with water when your survey's done.