A magnified slice of an earthworm revealed a pattern like a tree. Macro photographer Sefa Kaya (Villcorvus) uses it to reflect on the quiet work worms do beneath our feet.
A tree pattern inside a worm
Sefa Kaya, who works under the name Villcorvus, is a Turkish macro and wildlife photographer. He tells how a childhood love of drawing became photography after he got his first DSLR in 2010, and how he has combined macro and wildlife work since 2015. He also enjoys teaching, through seminars and training for other photographers.
The heart of the story is a photograph of a cross-section of an earthworm, magnified about twenty times. The pattern he saw looked like the Tree of Life, a symbol of connection and renewal. He says he searched for similar examples in other earthworms and found none, so he treats this one as unusual.
He then draws a metaphor between the symbol and the real work of earthworms. They aerate soil, break down organic matter and return nutrients, which supports trees and other plants. The author presents the link as symbolic, and closes by hoping that close-up photography will encourage people to look more carefully at the small creatures that sustain the natural world.
_This story was written by Sefa Kaya - Villcorvus for Untold Wildlife, our partner in bringing overlooked conservation stories to more people._