It was to seek the place where moisture would last the longest in my opinion. Between the yellow lines where water might pool bounded by the relatively waterproof yellow lines. The other parts of the road were sloped and would dry faster.
Good analysis. Very creepy phenomenon.
That region had copious rainfall and flooding most of April and May. The earthworms were trying to not drown, but once up on the pavement you could be right about conserving moisture or the pavement became too hot for them to crawl back off.
Would have been smart to gather them up and take em fishing.
“It was to seek the place where moisture would last the longest in my opinion. Between the yellow lines where water might pool bounded by the relatively waterproof yellow lines. The other parts of the road were sloped and would dry faster.”
The area has experienced heavy rains. They were seeking a place of least moisture.
Now imagine how many earthworms there are that you cannot see. Imagine the billions per mile plus all the other insects. That ground you are standing on is moving.