Worms - Oh Yuck!

When we hear the word worm it can conjure up thoughts of all kinds of creepy, crawly things - from intestinal parasites to maggots. They aint exactly the favorite subject of conversation for most folks.

Yet most types of worms have important roles in the plan of nature. Even the despised maggot helps to eliminate and break down decaying flesh and plants - and actually benefit mother nature in that way.

But today were going to take a look at a worm that is a bit more acceptable to us human folks. Im talking about the more friendly worm we all have seen at one time or another - the common earthworm found in the soil all over this world. They provide food for many of natures creatures, but are a special delicacy for our Wisconsin Robins as we see them hopping around our backyards pulling the worms out of the earth.

And lets not forget they still remain the most popular of fish baits for those of us who are fishermen.

Earthworms and night-crawlers are very important creatures that aerate the soil with their tunneling action and they also add nutrients to the soil with their waste products, which are called castings. On a good, well drained piece of land, there can be as many as a million worms on an acre.

There are literally thousands of different worm species around the world. Worms are invertebrates, meaning they are animals without a backbone; and they vary in color from brown to reddish and have a rather soft body.

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