Mr Dinwiddy
Member
I wish I was a glow worm
I never would be glum
Its hard to be unhappy
when a light shines out your bum
I never would be glum
Its hard to be unhappy
when a light shines out your bum
Glow Worms
- Thread starter Big Jim
- Start date
cavemanmike
Well-known member
Tangent_tracker
Active member
One of my fellow club members reported seeing glow worms in coombsdale when coming out of Sallet one year.
Last Gworms I saw were on the middlewood way but they seem to be no more... Please let me know if you have any successful finds this year I would love the kids to see them!
Last Gworms I saw were on the middlewood way but they seem to be no more... Please let me know if you have any successful finds this year I would love the kids to see them!
Big Jim
Member
Olly, I did Coombes Dale last year and there are still GWs up there. Some where on way up to Sallet Hole and a few moor towards Black Harry lane. No reason why a good walk up the dale from Calver end shouldn't reveal some this season, but probably best wait until late June to make sure. Numbers can vary dramatically from year to year so no guarantee. Peak Pasture between Calver and Hassop Common looks worth a look too. I had a couple on end of Bramley Lane nr the quarry last year and a few more along longstone edge.
Ive heard about the middlewood way ones, but Ill leave that to Cheshire folk - I only do Derbyshire records as theres plenty to go at....
J
Ive heard about the middlewood way ones, but Ill leave that to Cheshire folk - I only do Derbyshire records as theres plenty to go at....
J
Tangent_tracker
Active member
Ta Jim. I dragged my kids to Nottingham a couple of years ago at reports of 100+ glow worms. After a long drive and chips with friends we got to our destination to find one solitary fella 
Seems we missed the peak by two days!
To be fair that was the first one I had seen in 20 years, the last being on the middle wood way, but I am not going to chance a drive like that again!
Could you please give me a shout when you start to see them as I can't really justify the trip from home not knowing if they have appeared or not... Would be appreciated
Seems we missed the peak by two days!To be fair that was the first one I had seen in 20 years, the last being on the middle wood way, but I am not going to chance a drive like that again!
Could you please give me a shout when you start to see them as I can't really justify the trip from home not knowing if they have appeared or not... Would be appreciated
Big Jim
Member
Ive seen a few already at my main survey site but its private land and terrain not suitable for kids. Ill let you know if I spot any elsewhere in a few weeks - the peak will probably be late June / early July. The rough pasture below surprise view (Hathersage) has had some 100+ counts in recent years though never been myself. Unusually this colony isn't on the limestone.
Glowies in Notts are getting fewer with only a handful of reliable sites left sadly. I'm sure much of this has to do with the fact that on the whole, Notts is quite flat... so tractors can get everywhere, leaving very little ancient/unimproved grassland. Hence in Derbyshire, many of the sites are steep valley slopes or railway cuttings. But then again, I know of a really good Derbyshire site that is just a wide roadside verge that wouldn't attract much attention, but Ive had some very good counts along there over the years.
Glowies in Notts are getting fewer with only a handful of reliable sites left sadly. I'm sure much of this has to do with the fact that on the whole, Notts is quite flat... so tractors can get everywhere, leaving very little ancient/unimproved grassland. Hence in Derbyshire, many of the sites are steep valley slopes or railway cuttings. But then again, I know of a really good Derbyshire site that is just a wide roadside verge that wouldn't attract much attention, but Ive had some very good counts along there over the years.
Tangent_tracker
Active member
Much appreciated! Fingers crossed for a good year!
Big Jim
Member
Yes Mark, she had 7 females glowing. I spotted the record on UK Glow worms and found out who saw them via I-record. Katy knows her. There are old records for that area. I tried the Cliff last night in the massive field near the boundary stone and that bit of rough land opposite Watergrove nr the big pond but no joy... though it was a little windy and cold last night
Big Jim
Member
Cheers Gary, could you send the record in via the UK Glow Worm survey website http://www.glowworms.org.uk/. It uses the i-record system but very straight forward.
Sadly Sussex is a little outside my recording area (Derbyshire) so I wont be popping along to have a look :-D
Regards
Jim
Sadly Sussex is a little outside my recording area (Derbyshire) so I wont be popping along to have a look :-D
Regards
Jim
bat
Member
Hi big Jim
Record already sent, also saw some last Tuesday, but no photo (also sent record for them).
Both sightings in same places.
There were more last year also in the same places, but I didn't know about reporting the sightings.
Still may be time to get some better photos this year, but Southwater is a building site (lots of new houses) so I think their days are numbered
Regards Gary
Record already sent, also saw some last Tuesday, but no photo (also sent record for them).
Both sightings in same places.
There were more last year also in the same places, but I didn't know about reporting the sightings.
Still may be time to get some better photos this year, but Southwater is a building site (lots of new houses) so I think their days are numbered
Regards Gary
So are you saying your glow-worm is our lightning bug ("Firefly")? our lightning bugs/fireflies are beetles and some fly/some dont. Depends on species and sometimes sex. And the different species here have different light patterns. It's amazing to camp in the middle of the forest in the summer, they light up in waves, the different light patterns syncing up and it's a symphony of light that goes on for hours with hundreds visible. I swear you could write music to their patterns. My understanding was the UK does not have lightning bugs so that's interesting you've found some, then? Are they actually native?
Our glow-worms are super tiny and look like grains of rice (or smaller), as they are larval Orfelia fultoni (a type of fly). Famous here are the Dismal Canyon ones, which are distantly related to the glow-worms in New Zealand. I think we may have other species, as the Dismal Canyon ones emit different colour than the ones I see in the caves as my eye sees them, but they are under-studied (and something I hope to study in future if I can get some grants).
You can find them in Sauta Cave here at the entrance, and also Neversink which is a popular night trip in the summer. I do not have a macro lens, so capturing their light is all I can do camera-wise - first is with some fill to see the setting, second is just their light. I have some others on flickr.
Log Glowworms - Fill Light by Amata Hinkle, on Flickr
Log Glowworms - No Fill by Amata Hinkle, on Flickr
And although a little harder to see without pixel-peeping you can see them in the dark areas on floor and wall:
Neversink on Rope with Glowworms by Amata Hinkle, on Flickr
Our glow-worms are super tiny and look like grains of rice (or smaller), as they are larval Orfelia fultoni (a type of fly). Famous here are the Dismal Canyon ones, which are distantly related to the glow-worms in New Zealand. I think we may have other species, as the Dismal Canyon ones emit different colour than the ones I see in the caves as my eye sees them, but they are under-studied (and something I hope to study in future if I can get some grants).
You can find them in Sauta Cave here at the entrance, and also Neversink which is a popular night trip in the summer. I do not have a macro lens, so capturing their light is all I can do camera-wise - first is with some fill to see the setting, second is just their light. I have some others on flickr.
Log Glowworms - Fill Light by Amata Hinkle, on Flickr
Log Glowworms - No Fill by Amata Hinkle, on FlickrAnd although a little harder to see without pixel-peeping you can see them in the dark areas on floor and wall:
Neversink on Rope with Glowworms by Amata Hinkle, on Flickr
pwhole
Well-known member
Dr. Helen Czerski just ran a feature on fireflies in Tennessee on BBC4's Colour: The Spectrum of Science:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06nxwld/colour-the-spectrum-of-science-2-colours-of-life#
Starts at about 51.30
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06nxwld/colour-the-spectrum-of-science-2-colours-of-life#
Starts at about 51.30
Big Jim
Member
Ric, I did Lathkill a few weeks ago (with a few helpers) at the request of Natural England - only did monyash to ricklow dale and also fern dale and found a few. The last survey was 27 yrs ago, so pleased they are still there.
Ive not done black rocks / gang mine / stone centre / light railway though all have old records. Did get a few up the track past Dean Quarry a few nights ago but season is coming to an end now.
Let me know if you find any please... grid ref and number seen tah.
Ive not done black rocks / gang mine / stone centre / light railway though all have old records. Did get a few up the track past Dean Quarry a few nights ago but season is coming to an end now.
Let me know if you find any please... grid ref and number seen tah.
