Yeah gross! I can't help you and can only hope that zone 9 is too hot for them!

Millipedes. They help break down your leaf litter into wonderful compost.

I love compost......but there are thousands of these!

I talked to the ag extension agent and he said, "yeah, sometimes there are hoards of them". Great.
I've also read that they are sort of toxic to eat, so birds avoid them. Great.
Maybe we just caught them on the day they were born and they will disperse. I'm almost afraid to go out and look!
I just hope they stay out of the house.....which I've heard can be a big problem.
I'm not usually disturbed by insects, etc., but this is a really "eeeewwwwww" moment!
I have some snakes in my little watergardens.....maybe they'll eat some of them?
I'm trying to think that mother nature knows what she's doing, and this will all balance out!

Ah nature! Those look like flat millipedes. Don't worry, whenever we see an explosion of something like that, it slowly disperses. Whether by disease or predators. The first year in our house, we had tons of milipedes everywhere, the house, the yard, the pool. Now, we only see them if we are looking under rocks outside. Milipedes are eaten by other things. This is from the Kentucky Extension Office;

ECOLOGY
Millipedes are common in soil, under rocks, and in other dark, moist places. Millipedes cannot move very fast, and most species feed on decaying plant material. Millipedes do not have venomous stingers or fangs, but some of them can secrete bad-smelling and bad-tasting chemicals from pores in the sides of their bodies. These chemicals help keep many predators away. Despite this defense, millipedes are often eaten by centipedes, spiders, and predatory insects.

Thanks bananasinohio.
That's encouraging. It seems to be like the 17 year locust thing. Unbelievable. I went out this morning, and there are more piles in different places. Even when I can't see them, my boots make a weird-sounding squish, and I know I've stepped on a pile.
The ag extension agent said the same thing about them disappearing. I can only hope! Never in my life have I experienced something like this. I guess I should look at it as an interesting experience in nature.......I guess.
haha
Thanks bananasinohio.