My vote is on the african nightcrawler. Usually found under leaves in the woods. They wiggle so fast that they break in half sometimes. Also called the Alabama Jumper!

Alabama Jumper gets my vote too.

Thanks for your votes!!!

But I now have to ask are these worms known to live in Upstate NY ? :>)

I was recently told they were called Blue worms or Rainbow worms?

I didn't mention this because I was hoping to get a definative answer, and do appreciate both of you taking from your time. I'll try to a get a pic of these sometime in the future.

But in the meantime has anyone heard of a Blue Worm seemingly found in compost such as mine?

BTW. I did google Blue Worm without results, except for a Worm Farm.

Thanks again! Jim

They are definatively african nightcrawlers.

If the worm you are talking about came in worms from a supplier. It could be any number of a red worm commonly sold. If it is a native to New York then it is limited in what spicies it might be. The numerical maximum 17 as of the resurch census Oct 24,1940 from Americnm Museum Novitates Earthworms of New York State. By Henery W. Olson Published By The American Museam of Natural History New York City. If you have adobe reader the link below is the document.
http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/handle/2246/3808

larry

Do a google search under the images section for african nightcrawlers and you will see several pictures of africans. one is below
http://wormsofendearment.blogspot.com/2004_02_01_archive.html

As far as I know (I could be wrong but this is what I heard) composting worms (as sold for worm composting) are not native to North America. However, worms being sold for fishing and worm composting have become naturalized in this country and are now found all over.

Hopefully you can find a picture and a description online so you can positively identify your worms. counting the number of segments between the head end and the band is often helpful in identification.

I have found some big fat worms in my mom's compost pile in zone 5 in Michigan. I don't think they are native night crawlers since I thought those like to have a burrow in soil and come up to the surface for leaf litter. These ones I found were way up in the compost pile as well as down at the bottom level. They are light on the bottom and more red on top. I didn't really notice iridescence. The tail end seems to flatten out some. I've found really tiny ones as well as big fat ones that might be 1/2 in in diamiter when not stretching out. The band is lighter but I haven't counted segments between head and band yet.

Hi tclynx! The worm you are describing is a nightcrawler (Lumbricus terrestris). They are a redish purlpe with a blue irridesence in light. The flat tail and size 1/2 inch diameter kind of tells the story.Nightcrawlers burrow to escape the environment. If they come out of the burrow then they live in the litter on the surface until they need to burrow again. As long as food and the temps are to its liking it will stay on/in the compost material as it is a good food source and the temps are slow to change if its not compacted. All any worm needs is moisture,food,slowly changing temps,darkness and they are happy.

Leaf worms,Red Marsh Worms are really (Lumbriscus rubellus). They don't really get 1/2 inch in diameter. The reason I mention them is they also have a flattened tail but are only 1/2 the size of the Lt (Native Nightcrawler) and have the coloration you describe. Clitellum yellow/orange in color.

larry

Larry,
Thanks, I always thought nightcrawlers liked to keep their tail in their burrow which is why I thought these might not be such. They are so much bigger than lumbriscus rubellus (which I know from my worm bin in FL) between the size and the fact that they turned up on their own in Northern Michigan where it gets too cold for Lumbriscus made me wonder.

It is interesting that most people say local night crawlers won't survive in a worm bin but bassed on how these guys were happily living in the compost makes me think they would happily live in any large enough worm bin given the right ingredients. Perhaps they wouldn't eat enough garbage to be concidered composting worms.

tclynx,
I am raising Lts as we are posting. I have them in styrofoam bins made for night crawlers. It has Buss Bedding(TM) and they are fed worm food made by Magic Worm Food(TM). I have had them sence last Summer. At first I had them in a frig but I took them out because they were not breeding. I slowly increased the temp until they started. I sold the last of the old breeders just recently and now all I have left is young crawlers starting to breed and in the 70 deg F range. Unherd of until now. They also don't burrow in the buss bedding as the old wild ones did. So if you can keep them at 60-70 deg F and in buss type bedding and surface feed with magic worm food they will be happy. They actually the ones I have prefer 62-66 deg F. thats the temp of the concrete floor they are on.

I have a thred on TGF vermicomposting. It gives pics and some facts.