Suicidal worms

Twice on my power walk today at noon, I found worms on the sidewalk, less than 2 inches from the nearby grass. They were drying out and flailing wildly. I put them on the grass but wonder if their wormy brains were already toast.

But... why the heck would they be there? You'd think their wormy instincts would be to stay in the grass. I felt bad for them.

(Yeah, and then there's the Sudan.)