Jumping worms are invading gardens across Toronto. Here's what you should know

Luiza Monteiro was sitting by a fire in her gardenwhen she heard a wiggling sound and made a "gross" discovery.

"I heard something thrashing around in my garden," said Monteiro, a master gardener in Roncesvalles Village.

What she found made her realize her garden was done for.

Monteiro's plot of land is the latest casualty in the fight against the invasive species,jumping worms.

Their presence hasthe Horticultural Societies of Parkdale and Toronto on high alert so much so that they're telling their membersto wash the roots of each plant theyswapwith one another.

"They don't go away," Monteiro told CBC Radio's Metro Morning.

Clement Kent,a biologist and vice president of the gardening club, says it has been hosting plant swaps for over a century.

"[In] previous years there was no issue with having soil from somebody else's garden come to your garden, but now you could be spreading the jumping worm,"saidKent.

"It's really sad for us as gardeners. It's sad for farmers and for foresters because it's going to reduce the fertility of our soil," said Kent. Thejumping worm "competes" with native or garden plants for food, he added.

Jumping worms arean earthworm speciesthat were likelyintroduced to the North Americancontinent by European settlers in the 18th century, according to the Invasive Species Centre.The centresays they've grown in numbers throughout various parts of the U.S., but that Canada and Ontario have yet to see such growth.

They were first spotted in the province almost a decade ago but have been making more appearances throughout the GTA making it an "up-and-comer" species to keep an eye onfor the centre.

A threat to native species

"The individual damage one might do, itmight not be the worst, but they just have such high numbers," said the centre's policy manager Colin Casin."Ithink we're really starting to understand ...the impact."

Theworms will eat through layers of soil that serveas a form of nutrients for trees and flora as well as a habitatfor critters and other animals.

If you're trying to spot the pests in your garden, their waste leaves behind changes in soil texturethat resemble ground coffee, the centre says.

Given the opportunity to multiplyat a larger scale, they can damageand alter the landscape of our forests, Casin said.

"Once they become established at a site, they're really there and there's not a whole lot we can do," said Casin.

Casin says people can prevent the pests from spreading by making sure to cleaning off the mud underneath shoes when going from one trail to another, avoiding plant swaps and even reporting sightings of them to the centre and othercommunity apps to help researchers keep track.

"It's those preventative actions that can really help us kind of fend off the worst impacts," said Casin.