"Earthworms are often seen as a welcome presence in gardens, and even on fishing hooks. But in the Northeast, experts say invasive "crazy worms" from Asia are creating havoc in forests — and they say the unusual worms are a danger to animals and plants, and especially to sugar maple trees.

"The street cred that they have is hiding the invasion," Josef Görres, a soil scientist at the University of Vermont, says of the worms.

"I call earthworm invasions 'socially cryptic,' " Görres tells NPR, "because folks think of earthworms as the good guys — and maybe they are in certain ecosystems. But in the context of the northern [U.S.] forest, they are relative newcomers that have the potential to have huge effects.""

Bill Chappell reports for NPR June 13, 2021. [2]