My fellow fifth graders, nature holds many treasures and is surrounded by a plethora of life from animals to insects to plants. Nature is an entire ecosystem that lives through mother nature. Whether we notice it or not we are surrounded by nature’s beauty and times like these it is impossible not to see and appreciate it. During this quarantine my whole family renovated the backyard and while we were moving things around I saw an old friend, it was an earthworm. I called them my old friends because when I was younger I enjoyed digging for them. I’m sure you have as well. If not, you’re missing out. As I began to get older I kept wondering what was their purpose and what role they played in our ecosystem. So I decided to do some research because I’m pretty sure you’re wondering the same thing.

Now kids, from my discoveries, worms are usually a brown pinkish color and are often found below the surface of semi-moist soil and can actually dig as far as 6 ft deep. They are usually found individually but you can be sure that if there’s one, then there will be more. These worms can range from 3 to 14 inches.  It’s usually hard to tell their true size when you find them since they are curled up and not fully extended. For a while I did believe that they were no longer around but the truth was that I wasn’t looking. It’s easy to forget about things when you don’t see them everyday, but worms are constantly burrowing which simply means making holes. As they do that, they consume soil, extracting nutrients from decomposing organic matter like leaves and roots”(Unknown, 2018). Fascinating right? Now, you may be wondering why do we need them? Earthworms are very important to the soil’s health because they are the ones who are able to transport all of the required nutrients and minerals from underneath to the surface through their waste and the tunnels they create when they burrow(Unknown, 2018). 

Since earthworms are cold-blooded, they are able to regulate their body temperature and strive in temperatures between 60 and 80. However they “can’t survive in temperatures below freezing or above 95 degrees Fahrenheit”(Mueller, 2017). An interesting fact of these night walkers is that they all carry the both reproductive systems. When they mate, “The sperm is stored in special chambers in front of the worms’ egg-producing organs. After mating, worms produce an egg case called a “cocoon” that contains between one and 10 fertilized eggs. Worms produce between 20 and 30 of these cocoons per year on average”(Mueller, 2017 ). The reproduction is reliant on the soils temperature which is why they are popular during the spring and early summer since it’s about 60-70 degrees. Other than that they only usually live a few months since the changes in weather. 

Digging for them is super fun and when you get the chance I suggest you do the same. There is no harm in observing and seeing it for yourselves. Just make sure you put them right back where you found them. Remember that they are very important and balance everything out. They may seem like they have no purpose but they do. They are the reason our plants flourish and ecosystems succeed.

Works Cited

Earthworm: National Geographic. (2018, September 21). Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/c/common-earthworm/

Mueller, J. (2017, November 21). The Effect of Temperature on the Earthworm Population. Retrieved from https://animals.mom.me/effect-temperature-earthworm-population-6147.html

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