A quiet crew beneath the garden

After a night of rain, Maia notices a winding trail in the soil beside her vegetable patch. She gently lifts a fallen leaf and spots an earthworm slipping underground. It may look like a simple creature, but earthworms do important work. An earthworm has no lungs. It takes in oxygen through its moist skin, so it needs damp surroundings. If its skin dries out, breathing becomes difficult. That is one reason worms often stay below the ground or come to the surface when the soil is wet. As a worm moves, it makes small passages through the soil. These tunnels allow air and water to travel deeper, helping plant roots. Earthworms also eat dead leaves and other decaying plant material. The material passes through their bodies and comes out as tiny piles called castings. Castings add useful nutrients to the soil. Maia decides not to dig up the worm. Instead, she leaves the fallen leaves on the garden bed and waters the soil gently. A healthy garden needs many helpers, and this small underground worker is one of them.

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