A Mystery… at least to me!

We have lots of gophers in my neighborhood so I’m used to finding gopher holes in my yard. This year, when I came back from India in mid-January, I discovered that the gophers had been very active.  Soon thereafter, I noticed different kind of holes, ones that I wasn’t used to, scattered around the dirt portion of my driveway.

The ground is hard there but something was burrowing out from the earth. I couldn’t imagine what it would be. The holes were miniscule in comparison to a gopher hole but big enough to completely stump me.

Soon after I added top soil to one of my new garden beds, I noticed the holes begin to appear there as well.  I’ve never seen anything go in or out of these holes so I stayed mystified.

One day a tree service employee came to do some work in my yard. I asked him if he knew what created the holes. His immediate response was “Worms.” I wondered if he was kidding but he seemed totally serious.

WORMS?????? How could that be? I knew that my gardens contained a lot of worms, and some of the earthworms I’ve seen are very big, but I had never seen one of them on top of the earth. If his statement was true, I have to assume that there are a lot of worms coming out of the ground during the night.

Does that mean there are giant earthworms roaming the land at night? That question conjured up images worthy of a 1950’s science fiction movie.

So to those of you who know about such things, are these truly worm holes?

12 thoughts on “A Mystery… at least to me!”

  2. Could be worms. They’re good for your garden. Could be snakes. We have a lot of little bitty snakes out here, I see them all the time when I’m walking the dogs in the yard. Could be beetles, or bees. Some bees make their homes in the the ground. Best to leave them be so long as they’re not hurting anything.

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  3. According to this list, earthworms would not leave a hole, but a mound of dirt. Could it be squirls?
    12 – 36 inches in diameter, thoroughly plowed three inches deep, in flowerbed: armadillo

    6 – 10 inches in diameter, no mound, scattered in lawn: skunk or raccoon

    6 – 10 inches in diameter, mound four inches high, near garden or barn: groundhog

    2 inches in diameter, no mound, scattered in lawn: squirrel digging acorns

    2 inches in diameter, small mound one inch high, under a shrub, log pile or concrete slab: chipmunk or rat

    2 inches diameter, small mound, in lawn with markedly raised grass nearby: mole

    1 inch diameter, no mound, next to hosta: vole

    1 inch diameter, soil thinly scattered around hole, edge of the yard: cicada killer wasp

    1 inch diameter, two inches high and made from balls of mud, near creek: crayfish

    One-fourth inch diameter, mound two inches high & wide, several in middle of the lawn: ground bee

    No hole, mound two inches high & wide, several in middle of the lawn: earthworm

    As well diggers might joke, their work involves lots of deep thinking! I’m hopeful my table will help you solve landscape hole puzzles without a great deal of thought.

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    1. There is definitely a rational explanation but I’m not going to dig for it. Whatever the creature is, it isn’t causing any harm. I’m not feeling scared, I was just recalling the science fiction movies my generation watched as children! I think my next post is going to be about that.

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  5. I can only imagine worms coming out if it was raining and they needed to come up for air. Maybe a burrowing beetle or wasp of some kind? We don’t have a lot of snakes here that I know of. I appreciate your not wanting to disturb whatever creatures are making their home in your yard. if you ever find out, I’d be interested to know.

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  6. Hmmm, cannot figure out what that might be. I remember a woodchuck shoved out a skunk family living under the cement slab in front of our front door…was very relieved to have him as a tenant, he later moved out back under our garden shed..

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    1. I’m going to see someone tomorrow who will probably know. I suspect it is worms.

      It has been fun to have you catch up so thoroughly! I hope to do the same before long.

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