Is this a hoax, or real?

Supposedly written by Roger Fontaine (who doesn't appear to exist) more likely written by David Legros, Algonquin Provincial Park chief park naturalist, who’s originally from Lafontaine, now lives in Huntsville, Ontario.

As far as I know, these holes (tunnels) in the photograph below, were created from blasting through the rocks of the Canadian Shield to make way for building the highways/ byways in Ontario. Other provinces and territories likely have them too. I really doubt the worm story, as far as these photos being any kind of real evidence. But, the whole post shows how something can be turned into a great hoax, or a great story. Is there enough here to make you a believer?

Holes in the shield: the Algonquin Rock Worm

Roger LaFontaine originally came to Algonquin Provincial Park looking for creepy creatures like leeches, snails, crayfish and rotifers in the early 2000s.

During that first season in the park, he became fascinated by the huge and strange marks seen all over Algonquin’s Highway 60 corridor left by a prehistoric worm. Since then, he’s devoted at least a day per year to documenting and studying some of Algonquin’s forgotten creatures.

Many visitors to Algonquin are in awe of the rocky shorelines and exposed rock outcrops throughout the park.

What only keen-eyed visitors may pick up on are the telltale marks left behind by a fantastic creature that sadly isn’t around anymore.

Findings from a lost journal Back in the 1930s, strange marks appearing as vertical tunnels were seen in rocks along what would later become Highway 60.

Naturalist Walter Lepinski working with the road crew would eventually go on to describe the creature that made these precise tunnels: the Algonquin Rock Worm (Petrolumbricus algonquinensis).

This was a species of large burrowing worm that specialized in boring tunnels through rock using hardened mouthparts.

Walter estimated that Algonquin Rock Worms were approximately 10 cm wide by 6 m long, featuring segmented bodies and head-ends covered with scales.

Lepinski’s observations were corroborated by strange notes and illustrations found in the journals of timber cruisers and timber chute operators before the turn of the century (pers comms, Norton Smithers, 2024).

Lepinski’s notes from this time are scant, but he did write in his journal

“Algonquin Rock Worm, Petrolumbricus algonquinensis.

“Fossil burrows found along proposed highway through Algonquin. Only burrows found through Canadian Shield. I estimate the worms to be up to 20 feet in length. It must have hardened mouthparts to bore through rock.”

Evidence of species past Sadly, this species was one of the victims of the last Ice Age – the enormous glacier that covered much of North America in a crushing sheet of ice.

By the start of the last Ice Age 100,000 years ago, the rock worm would be wiped from the landscape.

In fact, following the melt of the glacier about 11,000 years ago, there would be no native earthworms at all in Ontario until they were introduced by humans just a few centuries ago.

Alas, no extant fossils exist of the Algonquin Rock Worm because animals with soft bodies rarely become fossilized. On top of that, that worm-killing glacier also scraped much of Ontario clean of its soil and softer rocks, including most fossil-bearing rocks.

Today, fossils of ancient animal life are found in limestone regions of southern and extreme northern Ontario.

To see these, check out parks like Presqu’ile Provincial Park, Craigleith Provincial Park, Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park – these parks host fossils that are hundreds of millions of years old!

As for the Algonquin Rock Worm, all we have left are the huge and mysterious burrows.

When the track or sign of an animal is fossilized, it is called a “trace fossil” or “ichnofossil.”

Modern effects of the Algonquin Rock Worm

Photographs from modern Highway 60, Algonquin Provincial Park featuring the tunnels of the Algonquin Rock Worm. In many locations, a number of tunnels appear next to each other. It is possible the worms lived in groups or were excavated in similar locations over vast time periods – we won’t be able to know.

While called the Algonquin Rock Worm in tribute to the place where it was first described, this species has since been found across much of eastern Canada and parts of the northern United States, with observations made all over the Canadian Shield.

Coincidentally, this lines up well with some of Ontario’s most iconic parks and drives, such as Frontenac Provincial Park, the eastern shore of Georgian Bay, Lake Superior Provincial Park, and more.

Today, we don’t have much to go on to piece together the life and ecology of the Algonquin Rock Worm.

The vertical burrows that we can see while travelling along the highway suggest they were good at orienting themselves to get to the surface and likely fed here.

Modern worms consume vast quantities of forest debris like dead leaves, and we assume that the Rock Worm did as well.

As modern worms feed, they leave behind poop, called worm castings.

One must imagine the immense heaps left behind by a 6 m worm and the nutrients spread onto the landscape, let alone the piles of pulverized stone at the burrow opening.

While we can’t know for certain, it is thought that Rock Worms were long-lived due to their size and the difficulty of boring through rock.

We have yet to find deep subterranean chambers attributed to the Rock Worm, and we suspect they are deep underground so unlikely to find them.

It is thought that the burrows provided homes for other species of long, narrow animals to use, from smaller worms and insect larvae to snakes and weasels.

In the past, as today, water trickles through these holes, perhaps entering the ground for long-term storage.

In winter, the water may freeze and thaw, and over millennia, this has cracked many rock outcrops, eventually creating mineral soil for plants to grow in.

Become a student of nature You may be wondering, “So what? Why does this matter?”

We think the answer might come from Walter’s journal in 1936:

“Those building the road thought it was a waste of time to even ponder what made these burrows, and they teased me relentlessly for my curiosity in such matters. For the student of nature, everything is interesting and instructive to the eyes that can read it.”

If you happen to be visiting some of our stunning parks on the Canadian Shield this season, take some time to look for the burrows of the ancient Algonquin Rock Worm.

Photograph the tunnels from a safe distance, but don’t touch these sensitive fossils – researchers are still trying to glean what they can from them.

I read the title "3 Ways to Keep a Naturalist's Notebook" and felt that buzz of inspiration. But, reading the post, it was just about other people's projects, people long gone and famous for their other writing. It wasn't what I was hoping for. I wanted something, fresh, something on the scale of in my own backyard versus famous places and perfect settings. So, what was there to do but collect my own ideas for a backyard naturalist, like myself.

First of all, if you don't have a backyard, there is a whole world out there. Take a look at a local public place like a church, cemetery, park, or get creative. Being a naturalist isn't just about walking around in a forested area. Studying urban areas is important too. Even if you walk on paved ground instead of grass, nature can be found. Not even just outdoors!

Make notes about what you see. Including illustrations. Don't try creating masterpieces with your drawings. They can just add to your words as you find more to be curious about, or make note of. If you make a digital notebook you can add digital photos. Later you can look into a magnifying glass and fancier equipment. But, the main thing is to see what you discover while its still out there to be seen. Technology and more equipment can be distracting and time consuming. To start with at least, stick to a pencil and notebook for quick notes.

What can you find in your immediate, local ecosystem? Learn to identify different plants growing in your backyard. What types of grass are in your lawn? What are the "weeds" you see? Watch for animals in your yard, not just birds. What do they find to eat and how do they eat? Do they interact or avoid each other? Add details like the location, season, the weather, time of day, colours, texture, how they move (or blow in the wind), so many details you can think to add once you get started.

Consider all your senses when making observations and notes: sight, sound, smell, hearing and touch. Include your sixth sense, your feelings, too. Avoid touching poisonous plants. Try not to disturb animals and plants in general. That doesn't mean you can't touch things around you, just learn to understand them without endangering or upsetting them. You don't want to harm life while studying life - be responsible for your actions, not a bumbling professor uncaring/ thoughtless about the chaos your actions can create.

How does the environment affect the natural world? The environment can include the location, traffic from vehicles or people, buildings, sidewalks, fences, a river, trees, everything. I think of the odd weed poking up in an otherwise pristine sidewalk. There is the natural world surviving in the environment it finds itself in.

Take time and return. You may see something interesting while busy and make quick notes before moving along. But, plan ahead and choose a time and location where you are not rushed and can return to again and again. Things change in the natural world. You need more than one visit. Try a sunny day and later a rainy day, even in the same week.

You could make a study of just one weed growing where it manages to get a start. What changes day by day? What struggles does that weed have? Does it grow to full height or remain stunted? Does it produce flowers or seeds? If someone pulls it out, does it have enough root to grow back? Endless questions and observations.

Don't forget the motto (used by urban explorers) "take only photographs, leave only footprints". Whatever you bring with you should leave with you, no littering. On the other hand, don't remove things from their environment. Instead hope you will see them/it again next time you visit. I make an exception for seeds and clippings from plants which you could add to your notes. But, don't harm the plants, make sure there is enough of it to keep thriving. In some locations you may need to stay on trails, especially in fragile ecosystems. Think of it as the butterfly effect without the time machine.

Dress appropriately. Think about insects (bees and mosquitos). Think about the weather. Bright colours or anything flashy will make it harder to watch animals, no matter how patiently you wait. Bring everything with you in an easy to haul around backpack or something else that works well for you.

Give yourself credit for what you have learned, progress you have made in understanding the ecosystem and new discoveries you make. Celebrate your discoveries. Add to your research by looking into history and lore about the plants and animals in your own backyard. Which plants are edible? Find out about foraging and cooking/ baking with wild plants. Learn tracking skills for seeing where the animals came from and where they go.

Here are some reflection questions to help you choose your next outdoor adventure: What am I excited to learn outside? What would be easy for me to do in the amount of time I have? What would be easy for me to do in the locations I have nearby? What areas of nature study am I most passionate about? What areas of nature study have I not done in awhile? If you ever get stuck and unable to go deeper in a particular area of naturalist curricullum… simply take a break and go study something else for awhile!

Quoted from Brian Mertins, Nova Scotia.

• Discover the World Around You: Your Guide to Becoming an Amateur Naturalist
• Citizen Science 101: What It Is and Why It Matters
• Backyard Naturalist podcast (US based).
• Backyard Naturalist (Australia)

I read a post about mudlarking. What to Know About Mudlarking. From Archaeology Now, London, England.

"Mudlarking is the romantic name for scavenging on the riverbank (also called the foreshore) when the tide is out."

Things I learned about mudlarking in England: you need a license (even just to poke around), there are places you are not allowed to go, and you must report your finds. The writer, Jill Brown, suggests a catch and release plan where you don't keep what you find, just put it back. Take photos, leave it where you found it. I can understand, those are the general rules for urban exploration too.

But, what if I want to keep it? I don't know if we have rules about beachcombing or mudlarking here in Canada, or Ontario. Maybe they do in Toronto, the city itself. I'm not sure if the same urban exploration rules apply for finding something washed up on a beach or forgotten under the dirt in a forest, etc.

I like the name mudlarking, but I would think of it as beachcombing. I wondered if they were two words meaning the same thing or is there a difference between the two. Reading the description from the post, they sound very similar. Unless you're some kind of elite purist and insist beachcombing can only be considered beachcombing if it takes place on an actual beach. I've never heard of forestcombing (as far as I can remember) and I know there is mud in a forest.

This is a history of mudlarking, quoted from the same post as above:

"Many 19th-century mudlarks were poor, desperate children. They made their miserable livings selling pieces of coal, bits of rope, and anything else they could find. Two hundred years on, the mud is still dirty, the water is still cold, and the extraordinary treasures are still few and unpredictable, but mudlarking has become amateur archaeology."

I don't think beachcombing started that way. It seems it has always been a hobby, finding little things to collect and ponder about.