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Everytime I see the thread on "slow worms" I think of glow worms.  They fascinate me. 


Does anyone have them in their part of the world?

I have seen  them, funnily enough near the botanical gardens, I don't know why they call them worms. They are like beetles with  a glowing tail.

There's a site about them here: http://website.lineone.net/~galaxypix/

Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on May 18, 2006, 22:30:46
There's a site about them here: http://website.lineone.net/~galaxypix/

There's a chalk pit a couple of hundred yards away from where I work, which is a SSSI - quite a lot of uncommon plants eg moon carrots. Lots of fireflies in there, although it's not the easiest of places to wander around at night - some fairly steep holes.

i have only seen them in Italy.  It was an unexpected and amazing experience.  All around were captivated while they were out.

Alit

I used to live near a restored steam railway and there were lots all along the embankments there (until the railway decided it could make money by flattening the embankments and putting tourist footpaths along the tops). As I understand it, only the female glows, so that the male can find it, or so our local wildlife expert told me (a fascinating man who lived in a gypsy caravan in the railway car park - I miss him now almost as much as the glow worms!).

Thanks for the weblink

Good web link - very interesting, but not much use round here :(

QuoteGlow worm sites in and around Lincolnshire
Normally I start my lists with sites reported to Anthony Wootton in the 1970s. But he reported no sites in Lincolnshire at all, so I can only give the sites reported to me, almost all by the Rutland Natural History Society, in recent years. The coordinators for that area are Graham and Linda Worrall of 6 Redland Close, Barrowden, Rutland LE15 8ES, should you wish to liaise with them. If you would like to search for sites nearer to home, all I can say is that disused railways are good hunting grounds, along with any areas which have remained uncultivated for many years. But with its large areas of chalk and limestone geology, in theory there should be more sites in Lincolnshire.
  At the start of the 2005 season, a single larva was seen in Birchwood Nature Park, off the A46 not far from Lincoln. This shows that glow worms can be found even in areas where they were previously unknown. They must have been there for many years as glow worm larvae cannot spread other than on foot, so where there is one site there may be others.

Sites reported to Robin Scagell
Site  Map    Location and details if any: f = (glowing) females, m = males
No    Ref

186 SK943026 South Luffenham, Rutland  2f 1991
178 SK947006 Barrowden, Rutland 8f 1991
185 SK955193 Morkery Wood, Lincs  19f 1991
179 SK982053 Ketton Quarry SSSI, Rutland  7f 1991
191 SK999147 Lincolnshire Gate, Lincs  1f 1991
190 TF002152 Roberts Field, Lincs  1f 1991
180 TF004037 Colly Weston Deeps SSSI, Northants  23f 1991
184 TF006203 Creeton, Lincs  12f 1991
563 TF01775  Station Rd, Little Bytham, Nr Grantham. Large nos approx 1984.
196 TF044125 Essendine, Rutland  50 f 1991
181 TF075047 Barnack Hills & Holes NNR, Northants  450f 1991

Recent sighting:
TF15 74 Chambers Farm Wood, near Wragby  â€" seen on annual glow-worm walk, 2002
SK925689 Birchwood Nature Park. 1 larva seen in daylight, 12 May 2005.