The photo shows the place where my garden sweepings get swept. On digging into this pile, the underneath is new soil. Worm shit? I use it for compost. That's what the poplars live in. Each trowel-full seems to be about 40% worms. Some huge and some tiny. I have to be very careful not to slice them with the trowel.
Entomologist Tim recommended I Google OPAL, soil and worm. Which I did. And downloaded a great citizen science project about worms. Do it for yourself and you can see. To do the project, all you need is PH strips, a magnifying glass, mustard and vinegar. I now have these things and can do this experiment at home. There's another download that shows different worms. I think I have a variety in the garden.
They also live under plant pots.
One of the poplars was sitting on this. The maybe-not variegated one. I worry about the worms. Will they drown?
Anyway, I also have another odd habitat. This upturned stool has been on my mini tool shed for a year and it has its own lifeforms swimming around in it.
The one 'habitat' that doesn't seem popular is...
No one has made this their home. At least, not that I know of.
But, I went out with the bat detector last night and heard, in the trees just south west of my garden, a hunting pipistrelle. There was a moth in the garden. When I went in, maybe the pip pipped it.
Guffawed when I read your last sentence in the post!!! Life and death and drama in your back yard garden ...
I read through the OPAL material. Looks great.
I'd forgotten about the use of mustard. Many years ago I'd been reading about worms and we almost did a survey at work but then concentrated on springtails. So I remember about mustard but never tried it.
I think from what I recall that worms will eventually "drown" if stuck in water. Oh look at this -
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-earthworms-surface-after-rain/
Yeah, I've checked a few sites and they say worms can stay alive for awhile in water but eventually they will suffocate due to lack of oxygen.