Agriculture officials are sounding the alarm over a destructive invasive pest that is rapidly spreading across the United States. Asian jumping worms, also known as “snake worms” or “crazy worms,” were already established in much of the East, Midwest, and parts of the Northwest, but now, they are threatening ecosystems in Colorado. On Tuesday, the Colorado Department of Agriculture urged nurseries, landscapers, and landowners to be on the lookout for this “aggressive” species, which was first detected in the state in October 2025. Jumping worm cocoons are hardy and tiny—about the size of a mustard seed. They can survive the winter and easily spread in soil and mulch and on landscaping or farming equipment. When the worms hatch in the spring, they devour organic matter much faster than other earthworms, stripping soils of the critical top layer needed to support native plants, wildflowers, and forest ecosystems. They could even exacerbate drought in the already parched state, Colorado officials warn.…