Keiron Derek Brown
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earthwormuk.bsky.social
Keiron Derek Brown
@earthwormuk.bsky.social
1.7K followers 110 following 34 posts
🪱 Worm nerd and naturalist | Biological Recording Company | Earthworm Society | London Natural History Society 🧪

🇬🇧 Cumbrian living in London 🏳️‍🌈
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earthwormuk.bsky.social
Who lives here?

If you said Wood Ants, you’re right—but did you know another species shares their nests?

Join Prof. @elvarobinson.bsky.social to explore the secret life of the Shining Guest Ant, an ‘uninvited houseguest’.

Register here (for FREE!): www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1664001195...
September 12, 2025 at 2:08 PM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
Driver ants form some of the largest colonies of any animal on Earth, with up to 20 million individuals. And yet, surprisingly little is known about them.

Join Dr @maximuminsect.bsky.social and explore how research is shedding light on these fascinating ants:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1675100022...
September 12, 2025 at 12:10 PM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
Bioacoustic data is increasingly popular for monitoring birds – but how can we use it to its full potential?

Join our FREE ecoTECH webinar with Wilder Sensing on best practice in bird bioacoustics.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1668406923...

🧪 #bioacoustics #birds @wildersensing.com
September 12, 2025 at 11:49 AM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
I’m running Biological Recording 101 on 20 January at Lesnes Abbey Lodge, London.

Join me to explore how to turn wildlife sightings into valuable conservation data & get hands-on with iRecord. 🧪 🌍

Tickets from £25
More details: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1682508431...
September 12, 2025 at 10:39 AM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
We think we get cleverer with age. Younger Keiron is pissing himself at current Keiron trying to undertake simple statistical analysis.
a man is writing on a whiteboard with the words it 's simple math written below him
ALT: a man is writing on a whiteboard with the words it 's simple math written below him
media.tenor.com
August 29, 2025 at 7:46 AM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
The Biological Recording Company are offering 50% off the Earthworms of the UK & Ireland entoLEARN course that I developed (was £20, now £10 with the code). Just use the code worm50 at checkout. The code is valid until 30th June 2025.
courses.biologicalrecording.co.uk/courses/ento...

#earthworms
June 27, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Reposted by Keiron Derek Brown
biologicalrecording.co.uk
Interested in earthworm ID? Join the Earthworm Identification workshop on 12 July 2025 at Gosforth Nature Reserve. Learn to identify British earthworms with specialist @earthwormuk.bsky.social.

📍 Gosforth Nature Reserve
🔗 www.nhsn.org.uk/events/earth...

#Ecology #SoilLife #Earthworms
May 26, 2025 at 3:30 PM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
Calendar blocked out. Can’t wait!
sbl-wur.bsky.social Soil Biology Group - Wageningen UR @sbl-wur.bsky.social · Mar 21
📢 🪱 Earthworms enthusiasts 😁 : The official website for the 13th Symposium on Earthworm Ecology is now live! ✨ 🪱
📅 SAVE THE DATE: August 23-28, 2026 in Wageningen, the Netherlands
🔗 Check it out and stay tuned for updates!
event.wur.nl/isee13/home-2
📸Amazing pictures @frankashwood.bsky.social
May 30, 2025 at 7:00 AM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
🌿 Discover the Spleenworts of the UK! 🌱

Join Henry Miller for an online deep dive into Asplenium ferns—ID tips, habitats & rare species! @royalbotanicgarden

📅 14 Oct 2025 | 💷 £10 | 📍 Online

Limited spaces—book now! 👉 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ferns-of-t...
February 21, 2025 at 1:54 PM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
🐸💧 Want to create a wildlife pond & attract frogs, dragonflies & birds? Join us on 27 Feb for a FREE webinar and learn how to design, plant & maintain a thriving pond habitat.

📅 90-min event | Expert talk + Q&A
🔗 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1253217329...

#WaterForWildlife
February 21, 2025 at 1:41 PM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
Last night during a Zoom training webinar about rare earthworms, I got tongue tied and asked people to put their questions in the twat.
a cartoon of homer simpson standing in a grassy area
ALT: a cartoon of homer simpson standing in a grassy area
media.tenor.com
February 12, 2025 at 7:19 AM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
Where does iRecord data go? How does iNaturalist verification work? What recording app is best for bird observations?

These are some of the questions I’ll be covering in this upcoming webinar.

@nbntrust.bsky.social @ukceh.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/using-wild...
Using Wildlife Observation Apps
Delve into the pros and cons of using various wildlife observation apps for recording wildlife.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
January 27, 2025 at 7:43 AM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
I communicate news about my earthworm research and courses/events through the National Earthworm Recording Scheme Bulletin. It's free and open to all, so subscribe to the e-newsletter here: shorturl.at/ruMNY

🪱 🧪 🌍 #earthworms #science #invertebrates #biologicalrecording #soilbiodiversity #SciComms
National Earthworm Recording Scheme Bulletin Sign Up Form
shorturl.at
January 26, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Reposted by Keiron Derek Brown
arnoldtortoise.bsky.social
A 2mm long cocoon found under pine trees in Brede High Woods this morning. Wondering if it might be an earthworm cocoon, something like Lumbricus terrestris?
Any helpful thoughts welcomed.
@earthwormuk.bsky.social @frankashwood.bsky.social @soilscholar.bsky.social

#UKWildlife #HighWeald
a buff coloured cocoon against a straw coloured background
January 23, 2025 at 2:19 PM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
Great day surveying #earthworms on farms in the Chilterns. We surveyed two fields on each farm, giving the farmer the choice of what they’d like to see compared.

Farm 1 wanted to see 3rd yr cover crop vs 1st yr. Farm 2 was ploughed vs min till.

🧪 🚜 🌍 #ecology #soils #invertebrates #agriculture
December 4, 2024 at 5:49 AM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
How do earthworms impact #soil processes and provide #EcosystemServices ? It depends on the type of worm.

🪱 🧪 🌍 #earthworms #ecology #SciComms #NaturalHistory #Science #Biology #Nature

@ukceh.bsky.social @thegsbi.bsky.social @soilassocscot.bsky.social
Diagram showing how three different categories of earthworm (anecic, epigeic and endogeic) contribute to different soil processes and therefore ecosystem services to different degrees. Epigeic earthworms contribute predominantly to decomposition which provides waste recycling and detoxification services. Anecic earthworms contribute predominantly to soil pore creation and provide water flow regulation services. Endogeic earthworms contribute predominantly to soil aggregate formation and provide soil structure maintenance. All types of earthworm contribute to nutrient cycling and therefore help regulate carbon and nitrogen in the soil. All earthworms also contribute to the biomass within the soil and are an important food source for many other animals.
November 24, 2024 at 9:14 AM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
Any people don’t realise that Darwin was obsessed with earthworms. He was the first to truly recognise how much they impact the world we live in. His worm book is 🤯!

🧪 🌍 #Darwin #earthworms #ecology #SciComms #naturalhistory #invertebrates #worms #science

biologicalrecording.co.uk/2024/02/12/d...
Darwin’s Earthworms: A Groundbreaking Piece of Soil Ecology
Kerry Calloway (Earthworm Society of Britain) takes us on a 44-year journey through Darwin’s research into earthworms, their intelligence and ecological importance.
biologicalrecording.co.uk
November 20, 2024 at 7:00 AM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
The Fried Eggs Worm was only described to science in 2009! The large adults are found living freely on the forest floor, with juveniles found up in the trees (one per tree)!

🧪 🌏 #earthworms #annelida #biology #invertebrates 🪱

photos.chienclee.com/image/I00002....
Fried Eggs Worm (Archipheretima middletoni) | Luzon, Philippines | Chien C Lee Wildlife Photography
cld1307566.jpg
photos.chienclee.com
November 19, 2024 at 9:21 AM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
We’re still predicted to take 120 years before we get close to describing all of the #earthworm species on the plant. We need more earthworm taxonomists…

🧪 #earthworms #invertebrates #taxonomy #soilbiology #research #annelida 🌍 🪱

www.newscientist.com/article/2451...
There could be 30,000 species of earthworms wriggling around the world
Nearly 6000 species and subspecies of earthworms have been identified by scientists – but the true number could top 30,000
www.newscientist.com
November 19, 2024 at 12:19 AM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
Created a little starter pack for earthworm research, conservation and applications. Let me know in the comments if you’d like to be added and your study area if not obvious from your profile! 🪱 #earthworm #earthworms #crassiclitellata #soilbiodiversity #soilecology

go.bsky.app/BCmLoAa
November 18, 2024 at 9:42 AM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
A little unpublished study I did on 4 farms showed no significant difference in worm counts between spring barley fields and neighbouring habitat (grassland and hedgerow). Species diversity, however, was significantly lower in arable. My thoughts in comments below.

🧪 #earthworms #soil #ecology
Box ts showing the comparison of earthworm abundance and earthworm diversity for arable and neighbouring habitats. Earthworm abundance shows no significant difference. Earthworm species diversity is significantly lower in arable habitats compared to neighbouring habitats. Sample size is 4 farms (each with an arable and neighbouring habitat sampling point).
November 17, 2024 at 8:17 AM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
There’s still spaces on my upcoming Earthworm Sampling Days…
biologicalrecording.co.uk Biological Recording Company @biologicalrecording.co.uk · Nov 16
Help us with improve our knowledge of earthworm ecology and distributions by coming along to one of our Earthworm Sampling Days. We’ve got free events coming up in Lancashire and London. Training provided on the day.

#earthworms #fieldwork #naturalhistory

www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/field-rec...
Image of a red earthworm on a soil substrate.
November 16, 2024 at 11:32 PM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
How do we identify earthworms? People assume it is based on colour and size, but to differentiate between UK species we look at features such as the prostomium, make pore, clitellum, tubercula pubertatis and setae spacing.

🧪 #earthworms #annelida #taxonomy #worms #biology #naturalhistory
Illustration of an earthworm showing morphological features such as the prostomium, male pore, clitellum, tubercula pubertatis and setae.
November 16, 2024 at 11:29 PM
earthwormuk.bsky.social
Even within the UK scientific community, I see a lot of pseudoscience and misinformation regarding ecological categories of earthworm. I wrote this article to bring together the research for naturalists.

🧪 #earthworms #ecology #soil #biology #annelida

www.earthwormsoc.org.uk/earthworm-ec...
Soil profile illustrating how 5 different functional groups of earthworm interact with their environment. Text descriptions available via the link in the post.
November 15, 2024 at 6:32 AM
Reposted by Keiron Derek Brown
biologicalrecording.co.uk
It’s all in the eyes! The eye arrangement in freshwater leeches is key to separating organisms into families. How many eyes are present? Where are they located?

🧪 #leeches #hirudinea #annelids #naturalhistory #SpeciesID #biology #taxonomy

@freshwaterscience.bsky.social
Table displaying different eye arrangements for the 5 families of freshwater leeches in the UK.
November 13, 2024 at 10:42 PM