Soil life
You only really see the surface of the soil in a flowerbed. In natural habitats it is usually covered with a coating of leaves. This coating is called leaf litter. In the autumn when most trees shed their leaves the leaf litter is very thick. The chances are you have spent some time kicking your way through the fallen leaves in a park. In time this layer of leaves rots down but does not completely disappear before another shower of leaves arrives the following autumn. The leaf litter is a habitat for many small animals, such as beetles and millipedes. They feed on the leaves but there are leaf feeders in the soil too.

If you look in the leaf litter you may find a leaf sticking up in a hole. You may think that the leaf has crashed into the soil with great force to make the hole but you would be wrong. An earthworm has climbed out of its burrow, grabbed the leaf tip in its soft jaws and pulled the leaf down into the burrow entrance. By doing this, the earthworm can feed on the leaf in the safety of its burrow. If it stayed on the surface it would soon be found and eaten by a bird such as a song thrush.

Earthworms also find food in the soil. The soil is a mixture of rock particles and decomposing materials from the bodies of dead plants and animals. The earthworm feeds on this material by simply eating the soil. As it eats it pushes its body forwards and burrows through the soil. Although the earthworm is safe from birds as it burrows in the soil, it is not completely safe. It may find that it burrows through the wall of a mole tunnel and lands on the tunnel floor. If it is lucky it may burrow through the wall again and make its escape. If it decides to move along the tunnel it may meet trouble.

A mole builds a network of tunnels in the soil. They may be up to two hundred metres in length. They form a trap for earthworms. A mole is a creature of regular habits. It sleeps for about four hours and then is active for four hours then sleeps again. When it is active, the mole patrols its tunnels and feeds on earthworms that have entered them. Sometimes a mole can find there are just too many earthworms to eat. When this happens it bites off the tips of the heads, ties the remaining worm in a knot and makes worm stores, which it visits later. Moles are very hungry animals and will eat almost any animal they meet. Moles on the surface of the soil have been known to attack small birds, lizards and even other moles. A mole must eat when it is active or it will die in a few hours.

The mole is the largest animal found in the soil but it is not the most numerous. In many soils one of the most numerous animals is the springtail. This is a tiny insect usually less than half a centimetre long. In the soil under a square metre of meadowland there may be forty five thousand springtails. This insect gets its name from a tiny fork that it has clipped against the underside of its tail. When the insect feels threatened, it releases the clip and the fork straightens immediately. This makes the insect spring a few centimetres into the air and escape from danger. The springtail does not have wings so it quickly falls back onto the soil again.

Although it may not look it, the soil is a busy place. Earthworms eat their way through it, thousands of springtails feed among the soil particles and every four hours a mole scurries along its tunnels searching for food. While earthworms and springtails remain unseen the mole throws up piles of soil called molehills. Look for them next time you pass a field or any other large grassy space.

How does a mole dig its tunnels?
A mole has a pointed snout so it can push its way into the soil. It has very broad front feet that look like hands. It uses them like spades. The mole digs with one 'hand' and then the other and pushes the soil over its body. The mole's fur is like velvet. This makes it difficult for the soil to stick to it, so the soil goes over the body and is then pushed away with the back feet. The mole clears the soil out of its tunnels by pushing the soil upward onto the surface of the ground. You can tell when a mole has been active by the heaps of fresh soil piled up on the surface.

How do worms stay fresh in the mole's worm store?
The mole does not kill the earthworm when it bites the tip of its head off. It just stops the earthworm from moving away. If the mole does not come back to its worm store, the earthworm grows a new tip to its head and burrows off into the soil.

Can a mole see underground?
No. A mole has very small eyes but they are of little use. The mole uses its sense of smell and hearing to find its food - and another mole in the breeding season.

How does a female mole care for her young?
She makes a nest in the ground and lines it with grass and leaves. Female moles usually have three or four young. They stay in the nest for five weeks then begin making tunnels of their own. Young moles frequently climb out onto the surface of the soil. It is then that they may fall prey to tawny owls.

Can earthworms tell when a mole is burrowing into soil?
Yes, they can. They burrow quickly to the soil surface to get out of the way. Earthworms do not have eyes but they can detect the vibrations in the soil that are made by the mole as it burrows.

Is there just one kind of earthworm?
No, there are two dozen different kinds in Britain. The most familiar is the large, pink common earthworm but you might also see a green earth worm and one called the brandling worm which has rings of red and yellow along its body.

Are springtails harmful like fleas?
No. A flea jumps with its back legs. It feeds on blood and can carry diseases which can harm people. The springtail feeds on decaying plant and animal material in the soil.