I recently cleared a large wooded area that was covered in overgrown ivy and kudzu. (That is- I dug up the ivy, not the trees.) As I was digging, I found that lots and lots of worms were living amongst the roots of the ivy. I eventually plan to plant woodland perennials in this area, so I want to preserve those beautiful worms. I've been covering the scalped areas with a thick layer of fallen leaves and pine straw from around my yard. Will this do the trick and keep my worms around? I'm in Atlanta, where the winters are not severe.