CHICAGO (CBS) — It has been a year since the first “crazy worm” was found in Cook County, and there are signs the invasive pest is growing in number.

They came from Southeast Asia, apparently in imported plants or soil, and found a home in Appalachia, where they were first reported in 1993.

Tom Tiddens, supervisor of plant health care at the Chicago Botanic Garden, said the crazy worms also found a home on the East Coast.

“What is concerning is all of a sudden they’ve made a leap into the Great Lakes area,” he said.

They do leap; or flip and squirm and move like snakes.

Unlike regular earthworms, crazy worms deplete the soil. Tiddens said the crazy worms – or jumping worms – drain the nutrients out of the soil and leave it the consistency of coffee grounds.