Some like it hot, however, male glow worms like it bright.
Bioluminescence is when an organism transfers the energy produced by their body into light instead of heat. Therefore, emitting a light. These can range in colour from blues/greens to reds/ oranges depending on the species; algae, fish or insects.
You may assume this alien-sounding reaction can only be witnessed in far away lands or tropical islands.
Luckily you would be wrong.
Here at the Secret Campsite we are lucky enough to have our resident glow worms. Despite a short tenancy, Lampyris noctiluca typically live for 6-9 months, where, after their larvae state they mature. Located in the camping meadow, on the bridge or anywhere with long grass, these beetles can be spotted after the last licks of light (after 10pm mid June-early August), glistening with their signature green light.
Catching the eyes of curious campers and their predators. The function of the glow is to attract mates and to catch food. Just like Paddy McGuiness’ hit show, Take Me Out, these little critters leave their light on – glowing for 3-14 days to attract a mate
Despite their larvae-looking form, the Glow Worm is the underappreciated member of the Beatles band. A beetle is classified for a few reasons, including their life cycle. This includes being hatched as eggs, developing into larvae, pupating (the middle transformation stage) before becoming an adult insect.
Surprisingly, this larval stage is spent hunting snails which they kill and then consume as a soup. How macabre. You can rwad more about their life history in the link top the wildlife trust page above.
We were lucky enough to catch a sighting, after several bribes, of the glow worms at the Secret Campsite Wildlife Festival at the beginning of July. These included near Grishell pitch and in the car park. We have tried to not take the last one personally… These are some of the many many reasons, our cheery Festival made it into the top 10 UK Nature festivals according to the Guardian.
If you fancy setting your eyes on these amazing little creatures, whose numbers have crashed in the last few decades, book your self a trip to the campsite from late June to mid August. Make sure to keep the torch off as you go exploring. You won’t be disappointed