Glow worms

[G0NYM]

Hi
I would love to see one of these beasties " Lampyris noctiluca" before I pop my clogs so to speak , after spending so time on the net I found a possible site just south of me, I live 10 miles north of Derby , I visited this place on several occasions last year but to no avail I believe it was the right time of year. Perhaps it wasnt, a good year I dont know !
Has anyone any coments that might help me on my quest.
Thanks from a very newby.....

[thunder]

Take something that has a green LED in it next time - they are a magnet to males, and if you find males there presumably must be females about, so you'll know you're are looking in the right place!

henrya

[Gill Catton]

and I would say Late July into August is the best time of year. I'm going hunting for them in Tewkesbury this year

[thunder]

Early july last year in cambridgeshire.



Male Glow-worm

henrya

[G0NYM]

Hi
Thanks for the replies, all this forum stuff is new to me so please excuse my lack of etiquette
I am told thats what its called.
Thanks especially to Thunder for his idea of useing green LEDs (I do hope this is not a wind up) .
One of my hobbys is electronics and i am sure I could knock up something with green LEDs .
I would appreciate if he could tell us more.
ie. do they need to flash, how bright , and dare I say this does size matter .
"still think its a windup" just maybe

[thunder]

Hi Gonym. No, hand on heart, not a windup at all. I was out last year with my bat detector, which has an LCD display with a green backlight, and when I got to the place where I was expecting to hear bats and turned the detector on, within a couple of minutes the little chap in the picture above landed on the screen and started wandering around on it. I think he thought he was in Boy Glow-worm heaven, having found the biggest female ever. That's probably why he looks puzzled in the picture! In the next half hour three more males landed on the detector. I have spoken to other bat people and several have also experienced this. Even the chap at the event who was talking about Glow-worms had a trap based on a green LED.
No need for the LED to flash, and no need for it to be very large.

Regards

henrya

[G0NYM]

Hi all
Thanks Thunder ,we will have a go sticking some LEDs on a piece of ply and see what happens ,if I get a chance to try it this week end

[Dean Eades]

Just for the record, Chambers farm wood Lincolnshire is a good place for Glow worms

Dean...