A few weeks ago, I was out later than usual attending a dinner. The food was delicious, but I was eager to get home and rest for the evening. When I pulled into my driveway, it was clear that our outdoor flood light had burned out. I hopped out of my car and, not wanting to trip on the way to my front door, I turned on the flashlight function on my cell phone. I started to walk past my garden when I stopped abruptly.

I was about to step on something...and that something was moving. I focused my eyes on the ground beneath my feet and released that there was not just one moving something, but a whole yard full of somethings. I shined my flashlight around and I could see the alien-like movements of creatures writhing in the grass. As my feet and flashlight got closer, the wriggling figures quickly sucked back into the ground. What I’m describing sounds like something from a science fiction novel, but it’s an event that you can witness in the early spring after dark. It’s Earthworm mating season in Maryland!