Earthworms

This passage discusses earthworms and the good things they do for the soil.

Lexile Level: 910L

Categories: Animals & Nature

Earthworms can be found all over the world. As you'd expect from their name, earthworms live in the soil, where they have plenty of food, oxygen, and water. They plow little tunnels in the soil, which lets in air and water to help plants grow. As they crawl around, earthworms secrete a slime that has plant nutrients in it. Earthworms eat soil and leave little pellets of waste that also nourish the soil and help grow healthy plants. There can be more than a million earthworms in one acre of land! Earthworms will die if they don't stay wet. You can see them on rainy days when they come to the surface. If you cut an earthworm in half, the head part of it will grow another end. Earthworms have no bones or eyes, but they have cells that are sensitive to light. They know when it is day or night, which helps them survive. Earthworms usually live about a year, although some live much longer.