Glow-On: You Crazy Glowworm!

Glowwworms (Lampyris noctiluca) are beetles, whose flightless females use bioluminescence (a chemical glow) to attract a mate. Glowworms have fallen on difficult times, in the UK. Wild meadows, where they feed on snails, have been lost. Light pollution has also interfered with the Glowworm female's ability to turn on the males. More than 500 captive-bred Glowworm larvae have been released in Southern England ( https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/20/glowworms-bred-in-captivity-to-be-released-in-southern-england ). The Glowworm larvae have been released in Hampshire and Cornwall. It is hoped this will help re-establish this, now threatened, species. Wild meadow development and reduced light pollution are, of course, characteristics of the selected release locations.