Here They Come! The arrival of the first robins is a welcome sign of spring, and is often closely tied to the appearance of the first earthworms.

Buried Below During winter most earthworms stay in their underground burrows. They are prisoners in frozen soil under ice and snow.

Verticle Migration In the spring, earthworms move upward after the ground thaws. Earthworms travel only a few feet during this migration.

Spring Connections "When spring comes and frost leaves the soil, the earthworms become migrants, tunneling upward. They appear at the surface, leaving the first castings of the new season, as soon as the average temperatures of the ground reaches about 36 degrees. At the same time, the robins return from the south." From North With the Spring by Edwin Way Teale.

Watch Your Backyard As temperatures rise, watch for these signs of spring in your backyard. Which will appear first, a worm or a robin? Will they appear together when the average temperature reaches 36 degrees?

Report Your Sightings! When your earthworms and backyard robins return, report to Journey North. You'll know your robin has arrived when you hear it sing.