Beware the horrific nematode, the ultimate nemesis

JOHN WRIGHT is a naturalist and forager who lives in rural West Dorset. He has written eight books, four of which were for River Cottage. He wrote the award-winning Forager’s Calendar and in 2021 his Spotter’s Guide to Countryside Mysteries was published.

As part of the research for a book on British grasslands I have been looking at the microscopic creatures that inhabit grassland soils.

The first microscope slide was frankly terrifying, with a dozen nematode worms violently thrashing around on my computer screen. Fortunately, they were only 2mm long.

The layman’s only likely encounter with these creatures is when they attack garden or agricultural plants, or they use them to kill slugs. A much worse encounter is to suffer one of the handful of diseases they cause. It is pity that most people know little more about them as nematode worms are fascinating and ecologically important. They are also super-abundant. The population in a square metre of grass can run into millions, they flourish in both the sea and on land and tolerate harsh conditions almost everywhere.

There are sixty billion nematodes for every human being on earth and, according to a quick back-of-the-envelope calculation, those sixty billion weigh about the same as a human being.

I am always keen to identify anything I find, but with 30,000 or so named nematode species and anything up to a million more awaiting discovery, it is a hopeless task for an amateur.

I have contented myself with those I saw under my microscope being a bacterivore, due to the shape of the mouth. Other shapes might indicate it consumes plants, or fungi, or animals, or is an omnivore. Most nematode species are socially conventional, with male and female, the male usually being much smaller. Some of the birthing strategies used are, however, not even remotely conventional. The female of the White Potato Cyst Nematode, for example, buries her head into a potato root to feed, the rest of her body swelling into a white sphere which will, in time, fill with eggs. The sphere yellows, then, on the death of the mother, it turns hard and brown, the eggs contained therein hatching over a period of years. A few species will turn to an even darker reproductive strategy, at least when food is short: eggs hatch within the still-live mother and the baby worms eat their way out. Nice.

Celebrating royal coast path with guided walks

Natural England are hosting the first of a series of events to celebrate the King Charles III England Coast Path at the Nothe Gardens, Weymouth on Sunday, June 11. The free event is intended to connect people with nature, enabling all to access the natural environment and experience the health benefits that it can bring. The event takes place between 10am and 4pm and visitors can try a variety of activities including guided walks, theatre and performing arts, abseiling, yoga and much more.

The Greenspaces team will be supporting the new England Coast Path event as well as running free wildlife activities in the gardens throughout the day.

Mayor Kate Wheller said: “This is a chance to learn more about the path that goes through Weymouth, connecting the beautiful coastline of our town together with other scenic locations along the Jurassic coast path.”

When completed, the new National Trail will cover the coast of England and will be around 2,700 miles long. There is also a free silent disco event at the Nothe Fort from 5pm on Saturday, June 10. Book tickets at nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/englandcoast-path-celebrations-in-the-southwest