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Glow-worm image courtesy of John Tyler

Going with the Glow

This summer the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is hoping to shed a bit of light on one of the county's most fascinating insects – the glow-worm.

With its rolling hills of chalk and limestone Wiltshire is prime glow-worm country. But despite boasting the right terrain Wiltshire, in a 1970 survey, emerged with a less than glowing glow-worm report.

So now it's your chance to put Wiltshire's glow-worms back on the map.

The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust wants wannabe glow-worm spotters to send in their sightings. But if you don't know your slow-worm from your glow-worm than read on...

Glow-worm 101

First off a glow-worm, measuring roughly the length of a 50 pence coin, is not worm-like at all but is in fact a beetle. Secondly, although glow-worm larvae boast a bit of a twinkle it's the female glow-worm that pumps out the greatest wattage.

Glow-worm image courtesy of John Tyler

Being wingless she relies on the tiny blue/green light, on the underside of her tail, to land a mate… a flying mate.

The tiny light is only as bright as an LED indicator on a hi-fi but it can still be spotted from as far away as 50 yards or so.

From mid-June through to mid-July, as soon as it gets dark, the female switches on her blue/green glow and waits. Glowing for just a few hours at a time and for a few short weeks, she advertises herself. It's only when she lands a mate that her light will go off and will not glow again.

Glow-worm hunting

So when is the best time to go on a glow-worm safari? Well according to Wiltshire Wildlife Trust officer, Nicky Warden, it needs to be dark:

"From mid-June to mid-July around 10 PM to midnight is the best time to see glow-worms – these can be best seen on a moonless or overcast night."

And the best locations can be pretty much anywhere: from gardens; churchyards; grass verges; woodland rides and clearings to river banks; lake margins; disused railway lines; canal towpaths and down land.

"If people see glow-worms anywhere in Wiltshire, but especially around Salisbury Plain, they should let us know," says Nicky. "We are particularly interested in Salisbury Plain because the chalk grassland should be a good habitat for these little insects.

"You are most likely to spot the adult female which glows with a vivid green light from its tail, but we also want recordings of males and larva if you should see them."

If you're interested in going out and looking for glow-worms the Trust has produced a fact sheet on glow worms and a postcard for you to record your sightings and return to the Trust. The postcard and fact sheet are available free by calling Nicky on 01722 792 015.

Happy hunting!

last updated: 13/03/2008 at 09:48
created: 01/06/2005

Have Your Say

Iyonce
Im a kid and would like to know more about how they produce energy!!

Cynthia
I'm from Oologah OK, 9/10/08,and I can walk out my front door and see at least 5 lights in the yard. We thought they were the flying lightening bugs until we took a closer look. That's when I looked them up online.

L Salisbury
In Sulphur, Oklahoma, our lawn under the oak trees was covered in glow worms. They were so noticable on a moonless night that I had to find out more about them.

matthew
I'm from the north west, cumbria and I saw a glow worm in long grass below a mountain when I was cycling home from work. It scared the daylights out of me, I thought it was an alien.

Adam O'Neill
Me and my friend were out cycling last night(01/08/08) and came across small groups of green glows several miles down the embankments of the Tardibigge canal in Worcestershire, then I remembered that they are Glow Worms, its an awesome spectacular sight to see

Emma and Lucy
We do not live in Wiltshire, but we do live near - North Boarhunt, Hampshire. We spotted a female glow worm in our garden at 11pm. Her glow went out, what does this mean? Emma and Lucy.

J Freear
I discovered a glow worm in my back garden last night after noticing a small green light in the grass.Location: Horsham, West Sussex

Peter Brewster
Ive seen them along seer green rail track and at combe hill by dunsmore, used to put some in a jar for my little girl, we would let them go before we left, she loved it, she is now 25,

Curt Tricarico
I'm 39 years old and for the first time have seen glow worms in my home town of Dayton, Ohio, USA. They look like the glow worm in your photo from Wiltshire. What is very strange is that they appeared in mid September, and there are some remaining tonight, October 1st. However, the male lightning bugs stop flying in early September, if not August. What's going on here? More side effects of global warming or a British invasion?

J Pardoe
I live in Jersey Chgannel Islands and there seems to be many glow worms glowing at the moment in late september??

Melissa Murray
We found a lovely little glow worm in Gore Oklahoma:) Were we surprised about finding something like this. It is why I even looked them up online. My cousin was out and he seen something glowing and got out of his truck and thought it was a lighting bug and to our surprise a flat like bug that had a light shining on its tail tip on the underside. HOpe this is as interesting to you as it was to all of us.Thank Melissa Murray in Oklahoma

Julian Pearson
I just planted 50 acres of chalk grassland rich in wildflower (16 varieties) and 8 native sopecies of grass, together with the dormant seeds in the earth... I'll keep an eye out.

Pillai Subramanian
Is this right that we can produce electricity from glow worms. If it is so then how and what voltage.

James Riley
my girlfriend and i saw two in the countryside east of Bath last weekend.

Anthony Pope
I tend to get glow worms in the garden every summer. This year i spotted about five in total. Location SP5 1DA

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