Aviemore children's encounter with the murderous invader from New Zealand
Pupils from Aviemore Primary School were given a surprise lesson in non-native invasive species whilst learning about Highland mammals this week.
Countryside Ranger for Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey Saranne Bish was with pupils in Milton Wood, teaching children about sustainability, climate change and biodiversity loss.
She said: “I’d devised an activity to illustrate the plight of our worms, which we desperately need to create our soil, as their numbers have dropped and there is grave concern about this.
“We talked about moles, hedgehogs and badgers, all of which eat worms as their primary food source, and went looking for some.
“Unfortunately we came across 10 New Zealand flatworms under some rocks – these critters eat our earthworms like there is no tomorrow so, unusually for me, I disposed of them.”
New Zealand flatworms have become established and widespread across the country and can severely reduce the populations of some earthworm species, affecting the soil ecosystem.
It is thought the New Zealand flatworm, brown on the top and cream underneath, arrived in the UK with imported plants during the 1960s and quickly spread.
They were first recorded in Scotland in 1965.
Saranne added: “They can reach up to 15cm in length and feed exclusively on earthworms, which then has a knock-on effect on soil structure as well as denying earthworms as a food resource for moles, hedgehogs and badgers.
“I’d encourage people to check their gardens – you can usually find them during the day and they’ll be curled up under pieces of wood or stone on on top of the earth.
“They are pointed at both ends and covered with a sticky mucus and produce egg capsules which look like small, shiny blackcurrants.”