For the most part, earthworms go unnoticed in our day-to-day lives. Typically, we only see them when they are struggling for life on the driveway or sidewalk after a rain. They ended up in these locations because rain can push the air out of the soil, making it hard for the earthworms to breathe.
So, they come to the surface to breathe and find themselves in unlivable locations like the street or sidewalk, now struggling to get back to something more supportive of their lifestyles. My wife and I often take walks, and after a rain, these walks take much longer since we spend a fair amount of time relocating these desperate worms back to a more suitable location. Yes, I know.
We are those people...
However, it’s difficult to overestimate the important role worms play in our ecosystem. In fact, Charles Darwin perhaps said it best: “It may be doubted if there are any other animals which have played such an important part in the history of the world as these lowly organized creatures.” So, let’s talk a little bit about these subterranean wonder workers.
As most of us know, earthworms spend the majority of their lives digging tunnels in the soil. The tool they use for all this digging is a large upper lip called the prostomium. Big word, but the children we teach in elementary schools across the country seem to enjoy knowing and calling it a prostomium.
So, repeat after me...
prostomium. Very good. This large upper lip serves as not only a kind of shovel to dig the tunnel, .