to do next if they’re gathering close to your house.
- What that “living pile of springs” probably is
That squirming mass is most likely a group of millipedes curled into defensive spirals. Millipedes have long, segmented bodies with many pairs of legs, and when disturbed, they often coil up tightly. If dozens or even hundreds are sheltering under one pot, the pile can look like a heap of tiny gray, brown, or charcoal-colored springs, usually with each animal measuring anywhere from 1/2 inch to 2 inches long depending on the species.
They favor cool, damp, dark spots with lots of decaying organic matter. A flowerpot resting on moist soil is just about perfect: shade, steady humidity, and bits of decomposing leaves or mulch nearby. In dry daylight, they tend to stay hidden, so lifting something that has been sitting in one spot for weeks can reveal a whole cluster
