During Wednesday's “Soil Critters” afterschool program, students had the opportunity to learn about what makes up a healthy soil and how varying numbers of insects populate different types of soil. The soil from the compost pile had the highest number of animals, with 17 pill bugs, 26 worms, two beetles, 34 springtails, two millipedes and one nematode. Maggie Payne of the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service shared her expertise with the after-school group. Photo courtesy Elizabeth Leidhold
