Rains and Worms

With spring comes rain, and on some days, lots of rain.  We recently had one of those rainy days.  Actually it was  rainy evening.  The next morning when my 6 year old and her friend opened the garage door to wait for the bus they quickly noticed the number of worms moving on the driveway.

This was a good opportunity to talk a bit about worms with my daughter.  Afterwards I did a bit of research.  I wasn't quite sure why worms came out during the rain.  I've heard that it is to avoid drowning, but that seemed like a potential misconception to me.  Turns out I was right.  Here's a quote I pulled from an apparent reputable web source.

"Dr. Dennis Linden, Cindy Hale, and other worm experts say that worms do NOT surface to avoid drowning. In fact, they come to the surface during rains (especially in the spring) so they can move overland. The temporarily wet conditions give worms a chance to move safely to new places. Since worms breathe through their skin, the skin must stay wet in order for the oxygen to pass through it. After rain or during high humidity are safe times for worms to move around without dehydrating. It is true that, without oxygen, worms will suffocate. But earthworms can survive for several weeks under water, providing there is sufficient oxygen in the water to support them."