Wildlife Watching Event - Glow-worms!

Search for mini bright sparks in the wood  

A tiny creature will be lighting up in the forest to attract a mate – but it there’ll be no question of reuniting with an old flame!

The Forestry Commission is staging its annual walk in search of glow-worms in Chambers Farm Wood, near Wragby, Lincolnshire, on Friday, 29 June, from 10pm.

Female glow-worms produce a soft light in their tails during early summer nights to attract males. But the romance is a rushed one - adult beetles survive for just a few weeks and in that time they need to mate and lay eggs to ensure the survival of the next generation. 

Once far more widespread than they are today, glow-worms have cast a spell over humans for centuries. Shakespeare mentions them in Hamlet and their soft glow on mid-summer nights must have seemed like a scene from a magical world.

Hannah Darcel, Forestry Commission ranger, said: “Habitat loss and even light pollution may be responsible for the glow-worm’s national decline. But thanks to sensitive management, Chambers Farm Wood is a haunt of this wonderful mini-beast which is at the northern extent of its range.  We can never tell how many we will see, but once you know what to look for its soft glow is really quite apparent set against the darkness of undergrowth in the wood.”

The walk meets at 10pm at the Chambers Farm Wood Centre off the B1206 Bardney to Wragby road.  Booking is required on 01623 822447  and the cost is £5 per person. Car parking is free.