Lawns and Gardens

• Worms don't like hard or sandy soils. They prefer soft soil they can dig through easily, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. They also prefer healthy, green lawns that aren't treated with pesticides that irritate their skin. Dig for worms such as earthworms and night crawlers in compost piles, underneath piles of leaves and under mulch in your lawn or garden. Compost piles attract worms because they are full of soft soil for the earthworm to dig through and decaying vegetable matter worms like to eat. Worms also hide in the soil under piles of leaves and mulch because it tends to be moist and cool as a result of the ground covering.
  
  

Farms and Pastures

• Some worms, such as small ringed manure worms, are found in manure. Look for manure droppings in places where animals such as cows and horses graze or live. These areas include stables and barns on farms as well as horse and cow pastures. You can also look for worms in large manure composting piles where farmers gather the animal's waste so it can decompose and become fertilizer. Besides manure, farms and pastures also have a lot of rich, soft soil that earthworms and night crawlers like to dig through.
  
  

Under Objects

• Although worms mostly come out during wet, rainy weather, you can still find them during dry spells by looking in places where the soil is moist and cool. These places are usually underneath rocks, boards, bricks, logs or anything else than may be laying on top of the surface. Move the object and look for worms or signs of worms, such as castings, on the surface of the soil before you begin digging.
  
  

Mudflats and Riverbanks

• Bloodworms, large pink worms often used as live bait, are found in sandy mud and silty-clay in riverbanks and in mudflats where they eat decaying vegetable matter and microscopic species in the mud. They prefer fine mud with a lot of decaying organic matter, according to the National Wetlands Research Center. One sign that bloodworms are in a patch of mud is the presence of multiple holes on the surface. Castings on the surface of the mud are another indication of bloodworms.