Raining Worms In China

Residents in China told to use umbrellas as city hit by 'rain storm of worms'

Baffled Beijing residents were warned to use umbrellas after it started 'raining worms' in the Chinese capital city. In recent days, a video has gone viral on social media showing "rain of worms" in the streets of the capital, with the slimy bugs covering cars.El Heraldo reported that Beijing residents were told it was recommended to leave their home with umbrellas. In news clips, residents can be seen going about their daily business with umbrellas propped up to avoid getting hit by the falling worms. And while Chinese authorities are yet to reveal a reason behind the strange phenomenon, theories have begun to emerge online. Some suggested they may actually be poplar flowers, a very popular tree in the area that is full of seeds and, when its flowers fall, they are often confused with caterpillars. Another theory suggested that the worms were dropped after being swept up by a strong wind, a theory supported by the scientific journal Mother Nature Network, which explained that this type of incident with animals occurs after a storm. "The end of the world is getting closer," one Twitter user surmised. In 2011, a similar phenomenon took place in Edinburgh. PE teacher David Crichton was leading a classs of second year boys when they heard a "soft thudding" on the artificial pitch - then looked up to see dozens of worms plummeting from the sky. David, then 26, said he and other teachers at Galashiels Academy were baffled by the incident. And they later found more worms spread across a school tennis court almost 100 yards from the pitch. "We started hearing this wee thudding noise. There were about 20 worms on the ground," David said at the time. Source