Lifted a pot and found this squirming mass of tiny gray coils on the damp soil. It looks like a living pile of metallic springs. Is this something to worry about?

at once.

2. How to tell millipedes apart from centipedes

A lot of folks mix up millipedes and centipedes, and I understand why. Both have many legs and both turn up in damp places. But millipedes are usually the slower, rounder, gentler ones. Their bodies are more cylindrical, almost pencil-like, and they move in a steady, unhurried wave.

Centipedes, by contrast, tend to have flatter bodies, longer legs that stick out to the sides, and a much quicker, darting movement. They often look more “spidery” and can be predators. Millipedes usually keep their legs tucked closer beneath them, and if you touch one lightly with a stick or gloved finger, it is much more likely to curl into a C-shape or tight coil than race away.

3. Why they gather under pots, boards, stones, and mulch

Millipedes lose moisture easily, so they seek places with high humidity and low light. Under a