green worms

bully01 · #1 (**permalink**) 22-06-2010, 06:16 PM

can anyone identify some thin cotton like green worms that appeared after a rainstorm in a garden in Wells in norfolk. They were about 3 inches long and waved about until they contacted a plant stem, then they wrapped themselves around it. An hour or so after they appeared they had gone. I thought at first they were plant tendrils but on a closer look realised they were a form of worm. I took a video of them but this site doesn't allow them.

jaguarondi · #2 (**permalink**) 22-06-2010, 06:53 PM

Sounds like Mermis, a nematode that is parasitic on various insects

bully01 · #3 (**permalink**) 23-06-2010, 09:14 AM

Hi jaguarondi, thanks for the prompt reply, I've had a scan through the various sources on the net and they do indeed appear to be Mermis Nigrescens, a parasite of such insects as grasshoppers etc. I just couldnt believe where they came from, I never saw them before the storm and never saw them after. pity I couldn't put the video on the site as they weave about in a very strange way. apparently they have some form of rudimentary eye which searches for light!

jaguarondi · #4 (**permalink**) 23-06-2010, 12:30 PM

I've only ever seen very few - two or three maybe - always after a downpour and in lowish vegetation. They would sit on a leaf and sort of sway about.