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Just because you are an eco warrior doesn't mean that you have to be an animal lover as well. I have a very committed eco-friendly pal who despises dogs, ignores cats, and pretty much stays out of the way of almost anything which doesn't have two legs.

But there is one of God's creatures that all greens love: The humble garden worm.

They don't look like much--in fact they look pretty hideous--but worms are the wonder of the natural world. If you have ever done any gardening before then you have undoubtedly spotted them burrowing their way through the ground trying to escape from airborne hazards before they are plucked from their damp, dark homes and eaten.

If you search your landscape you will eventually uncover worms. Worms were the fascination of Charles Darwin who spent decades studying them to uncover their secrets. And if they are good enough for Darwin then they are good enough for me.

But, quite frankly, they don't get the respect they deserve, and that needs to change. So I've scoured the internet and journeyed to the far flung corners of the web to dig up some fascinating facts about worms, which is as much an edifying exercise for me as anything else.

And having now written it I can tell you that, whatever you may think about these underground garden dwellers, worms are much more interesting than you ever realized.

Nashville Worm Facts You Didn't Know Until Now

Fact 1: Worms have no eyes
I've seen cartoon pictures of worms with eyes, but this is like drawing an adult man with a tail coming out of his left ear. Worms are completely eyeless and therefore completely blind. They can, however, sense light, so that's something at least.

Fact 2: There are lots of them
And when I say lots, I mean lots. And I don't just mean lots of species (2,700 according to what I could find). There are lots of them in quantity as well. In a single square meter of space, you can find hundreds of worms. In an acre, millions. We walk over them every day and have no idea just how many of them are wriggling around beneath our feet. I don't know about you, but I find that fascinating.

Fact 3: They can grow very, very big
I wouldn't have bothered writing this fact if by big I was just referring to 20 centimeters or so. Oh no--they get much, much bigger. A few years ago I went to Brazil and almost stepped on a worm which was about a foot long. I thought that was big, but they can get a lot bigger than that (disturbing, I know). The rare Giant Palouse Earthworm grows to over three feet in length. But that's nothing. The Giant Gippsland Earthworm grows up to 10 feet in length, and has been known to grow up to 13 feet. For more info on giant worms check out the excellent website All About Worms.

Fact 4: They are male and female
And I don't mean that some are male and some are female. That wouldn't be strange at all. I mean they are both male and both female. It turns out that our favorite garden friends are hermaphrodites. However, they still need other worms with which to mate. They can't mate with themselves, because that would just be weird. So they meet together, swap sperm, and both form an egg. Fascinating!

Fact 5: They eat a lot
Seriously. An earthworm can eat it's own weight in, well, worm food, in a single day. Not even an elephant can boast that appetite.

Why Bother Mentioning Worms At All?

OK, OK, so worms are fascinating. But why bother writing an article about them? And why should people trying to live a green lifestyle care about worms in the first place?

The simple answer is because worms are a gardener's best friend. They really are.

Worms do so much in the garden:

-They mix up the soil so that the soil near the surface is full of nutrients such as nitrogen.
-They break down all the different organic matter which is found in soil, such as leaves, so that they can be useful to plants.
-Their castings and enzymes they create are an incredibly effective fertilizer. The natural fertilizer worms make is very good for lawns.
-They increase the air and water which can get into the soil.
-They make sure that leaves and other organic matter on the surface is taken down into the soil and mixed into it.

Basically, they enrich the soil for free and mean that we can grow our tasty organic vegetables in it.

Worms Make the Best Compost Around

If you are a fan of composting--and I am fascinated by compost--then worms can be put to very good use indeed.

It's important to remember that there are different types of worms, and that you cannot just go and dig up some worms in your garden, stick them in a bin, and hope that they will come up with some awesome compost. In fact, many of them will probably die.

But if you get hold of the right worms, you can set up a composting system in your back yard or shed which will produce excellent, natural compost for as long as you want. The worms will be happy eating all of that waste, and you'll be happy by reducing the amount of trash you throw out and through the high-quality compost that they regularly provide you with.

All in all, these really are amazing creatures.

Enjoy These Amazing Animals

I hope that after reading this you will, like me, be convinced by just how amazing worms really are. I've gone through my whole life not really appreciating just what it is that these creatures do, but I'm sure going to give them a whole lot more respect from now on.

Whether you are an organic gardner, compost fanatic, or simply interested in living a greener lifestyle, you cannot argue with the fact that worms really are incredibly special-and fascinating-creatures.

And if you'd like more info on living an eco-friendly life, check out http://goodlifegreenlife.com where a free report on surprising ways to save money by going green awaits.