They’re not the most attractive element of garden wildlife but we’d be in dire straits without them. Burrowing through the earth they create tunnels, which aerate and drain the soil. This takes surprising strength and it’s said that a young worm can push 500 times its own weight!
Worms also digest and excrete soil, causing soil nutrients to be ‘mineralised’, a state in which plants can absorb them through their roots. Many earthworms also transport organic matter, such as fallen leaves, from the soil surface, down into the subsoil, increasing fertility in the rootzone. Worms in turn are food for birds, snakes, mammals and insects, so they’re an important element in the wildlife food chain, too.
Some, but not all, earthworms create wormcasts on the soil surface. Although annoying on…
