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Worms at Work
Worms are good workers! They are beneficial for the earth. They help make the soil healthy. When worms crawl around they aerate (let air into) the soil. This helps the soil drain. When it rains, the rainwater does not run off the top of the ground. The water drains into the soil. Healthy soil is light and moist and crumbly. Healthy soil has a lot of worms.

Worms eat dirt and dead leaves and even eat the remains of dead animals. Worm castings (poop) are full of nutrients. Would you believe that worm castings are a good fertilizer?   Worms are good for growing flowers and vegetable gardens. How can you attract worms into your garden?  You can add fruit pulp to the soil! Worms are attracted to fruit pulp. Fruit pulp is like candy to worms. Put it around the plants you need to fertilize. Worms come to eat the pulp like children eat candy!   Worms leave their castings, which are rich fertilizer. Plants in this area will begin to grow.

There are many different kinds of worms. Red Wrigglers like the sun. They live in the leafy part of the ground. They eat organic matter. Night crawlers dig deep into the ground and hibernate where it is warm. They would die if they got too cold.

Worms have heads and tails. How can you tell which end is which?  Look for the band around the worm. The end that is closer to the band is the head. This band is called the clitellum. This is where the worm reproduces. Worms reproduce quickly. One egg holds up to 5 babies. It is interesting to watch worms hatch from a cocoon!

Worms may seem like disgusting creatures but they are not. They have a special job to do in the environment. Worms help keep the soil healthy. Worms are beneficial for the earth.

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