Jumping worms entire life cycle fits into just one growing season, about six months.
Unlike European earthworms such as the red worm (Lumbricus rubellus) or nightcrawler (Lumbricus terrestris), which can survive for years, jumping worms hatch, grow, reproduce, and die all within a single season.
Spring Emergence
In Vermont, cocoons survive the winter and hatch shortly after snowmelt in late March or early April, once soil temperatures rise above 10 °C. By late May, as soils warm, hatching accelerates and juveniles rapidly populate the soil.
Summer Growth
Populations peak in June while the worms are still juveniles. By July or August—90–120 days after hatching—the first adults appear. As midsummer droughts set in, numbers decline even as individuals reach maturity.
Reproduction
Jumping worms reproduce asexually through parthenogenesis, meaning females can produce offspring without males. By early September, most of the population has reached full maturity.
Autumn Decline
As temperatures drop in the fall, worm numbers steadily decrease. By late November or early December, only cocoons remain—waiting out the winter until spring.
While the general pattern is consistent, timing can shift with local climate. In cooler, high-elevation sites, the cycle may be shorter, but the annual rhythm remains: emerge, reproduce, die.
Read more on jumping worm ecology in Applied Soil Ecology and Biological Invasions.
