Just about everyone has a story or memory to tell about earthworms- from catching their first fish on a big night crawler to watching a robin magically pull a juicy meal from the grass.
Earthworms are invertebrates living mostly in the soil underground.
Like other decomposers, they survive by taking in nutrients and energy obtained from organic matter they break down. Earthworms literally eat their way through the soil, breaking down and absorbing nutrients as the soil passes through their digestive tract. The tunneling created by this action has long been associated with healthy soils- adding to soil fertility by recycling nutrients and contributing to plant growth by aerating the soil. The presence of earthworms has often been seen as an indicator of soil productivity. Increasingly, research seems to be pointing to 'no' on both questions.