Wormy Work

Earthworms don’t have bony bits

and so they’re called invertebrates.

There’s billions living in the soil

that burrow, stretch, contract and coil.

Creating holes within soil’s layer

can mix it up and add some air

which helps break-down organic waste

and drain the rain in record haste.

Organic matter, we conclude

provides the worms with all their food.

Consuming soil is what they do.

Excreting lots of earthworm poo.

These squiggly clumps of mud have passed

through worm’s insides.  They’re called a cast.

Those casts make soil a better place

so plants grow at a faster pace.

Without the worms, the soil would not

stay very clean and start to rot.

The earthworms all have key careers

as eco-system engineers.

Celia Berrell