Earthworm Apocalypse Happening in Fort Collins [Video] [Pictures]

We need the rain in Northern Colorado, so this latest round of storms is much welcomed. However, thousands of earthworms are coming out of the ground and onto the sidewalks and roads, leading to a crazy earthworm apocalypse. Unfortunately following the rain, there is a mass death of the slimy crawler, considered by many to be a vital part of vegetation. I took the road and sidewalk near my house this morning taking pictures and throwing the worms back into the grass, hoping to save a few. Some of the really big worms could be up to 6 years old, the average lifespan of a worm.

According to Wikipedia:

Earthworms work as biological "pistons" forcing air through the tunnels as they move. Thus earthworm activity aerates and mixes the soil, and is conducive to mineralization of nutrients and their uptake by vegetation. Certain species of earthworm come to the surface and graze on the higher concentrations of organic matter present there, mixing it with the mineral soil. Because a high level of organic matter mixing is associated with soil fertility, an abundance of earthworms is generally considered beneficial by the organic gardener.^{[citation needed]} In fact, as long ago as 1881 Charles Darwin wrote: "It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organized creatures."^[36]