It’s raining a lot these days, and during my early morning walk, I see many earthworms popping out of the ground and filling the sidewalks and the streets. I observed this behaviour many times in similarly wet conditions. So I asked Claude: Why do earthworms appear on wet roads?
When it rains heavily, streets fill with earthworms for several reasons:
Earthworms breathe through their skin, which must remain moist. During heavy rainfall, their underground tunnels flood, forcing them to surface to avoid drowning.
The vibrations of raindrops on the soil can be mistaken by earthworms for those produced by predators like moles, causing them to flee to the surface.
Rainy periods are ideal for earthworms to move and find new habitats or mates, as they can travel on the moist surface without risking dehydration.
On paved surfaces like roads and sidewalks, water tends to accumulate more than in soil, creating conditions that attract earthworms.
Unfortunately, once earthworms reach the asphalt, they often become trapped and unable to return to the soil, becoming easy prey or risking dehydration when the sun returns.