I recently saw an article in the WSJ that talked about how regular earthworms had found a place in the ecosystem where they were essentially destroying low lying fauna in woodlands in the mid-west thus effecting the habitat of critters that live there (most probable introduced by fisherman disposing of unused bait). After introducing them, there seemed to be no way to control the population.

Just something to look into if you're putting a worm bed on your property.

Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."