The conservation world was abuzz last year with astonishing news: the apparent rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker in the backwaters of Arkansas. The largest woodpecker in North America, fondly dubbed the “Lord God Bird,” had managed to remain unnoticed for nearly 60 years.

That such a creature could persist unseen for so long speaks volumes for the surprises that the natural world can conceal from even the most dedicated naturalists and biologists. It also provides hope for the resilience of nature.

At the same time this story was turning the conservation world upside down, a similar discovery was going unnoticed in the deep soils of Eastern Washington. The actor in this tale was Driloleirus americanus, the giant Palouse earthworm, unseen for 20 years and considered by some as possibly extinct. And like its avian counterpart, this worm was one of the biggest in the land – or at least its kin once were, reportedly attaining lengths of up to 3 feet.

The rediscovery of this earthworm – in a prairie across the road from The Nature Conservancy’s Rose Creek Preserve – resonates with conservationists who understand that protecting biodiversity and healthy habitats means more than saving panda bears and fur seals. Such charismatic creatures are the movie stars of the conservation world, reaching heights on the cuteness scale that no blue-collar earthworm could ever aspire to.

Yet it was the earthworm, not a koala bear, that inspired Charles Darwin to write: “It may be doubted whether there are many other creatures which have played so important a part in the history of the world.”

All of these creatures – great and small, doe-eyed and no-eyed – play roles in the web of life around us that often we can only guess at. Whether we marvel aloud at the beauty of their plumage or sit in mute ignorance even of their names, together they weave a fabric of air and soil, water and life. Let us equally celebrate these rediscoveries and work to prevent their loss once again.