Stars of the earth

brue
brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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edited July 2019 in Wildlife, Nature & the Great Outdoors #1

Tonight I got a phone call to join my daughter on a hunting expedition on a nearby common. Armed with torch and phone we could just about find our footings in the long grass but we got our rewards! The night was drawing in with just a faint light in the west. I had heard on the BBC this was the best week to see Glow Worms. These amazing little creatures are worth the effort, they really are like little earth stars. It's the female, semi grown beetle which glows to find a mate and sadly she dies afterwards. There are only twelve glow worms in this particular area, we found five, well spread out. What a treat to see them on such a lovely warm evening. 

 

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  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #2

    Always wanted to see the native insects, I know there are a few English colonies, can you enlighten us? I've only ever seen them in northern Spain. Interesting photos!wink

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited July 2019 #3

    I've only ever seen them on the continent as well.

  • JayOutdoors
    JayOutdoors Forum Participant Posts: 572
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    edited July 2019 #4

    You may find your local UK nature reserve will often do 'Glow worm' counts. Hope you mange to see them sometime.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #5

    Here's a LINK to the BBC and a Radio 4 programme about glow worms. I have read elsewhere that they are around in many places, it requires a night time walk at this time of the year in suitable areas like heath and grassland. Our local ones are carefully monitored and although I knew about them had never gone out to see them. My daughter was doing a few days house sitting for a friend who lives near the glow worms so I asked her to phone me if she saw any, with results! Apologies for the quality of the photographs they are better on my phone than on here, the second one was backlit but that isn't showing up well.

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