Norfolk County Council - From Springwatch to Glow-worm Watch

Explore A-Z:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

You are in: Home > News

From Springwatch to Glow-worm Watch

For Immediate Release

04 June 2010

Issued on behalf of Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service (NBIS)

With the BBC's Springwatch programme bringing Norfolk wildlife into every living room, a call has gone out to the county's wildlife watchers to help spot a creature that has so far eluded the cameras - the glow-worm.

Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service (NBIS) - which collects and manages wildlife records - has launched a survey to find any hot-spots for these fascinating creatures in the county.

Glow-worms aren't worms at all, but belong to a family of beetles called the Lampyridae. You can see them after dark during June and July. Just the adult female glows using a chemical called luciferin - the same chemical used by fireflies - to produce a pale green light to attract a male, she has no wings and a segmented body.

Biodiversity Information Officer, Martin Horlock said: “We don't have many records of glow-worms in Norfolk - although we think they're out there. Only the adult females are easy to spot, and then only for a few hours over the course of a couple of weeks at night. If we have a better idea of where they are distributed, we will be able to investigate whether populations are stable and what we can do to help them thrive.”

The male adult glow-worm is much smaller than the female and looks like a typical beetle with full wings. Females can be up to 2.5 cm long, whilst males are often half that size. Your best chances of seeing glow-worms are: from mid June to mid July on a moonless or overcast night; on heathland, grass verges, along disused railway lines, churchyards, woodland clearings or rides.

If you have spotted them you can record your sightings on line at the NBIS website www.nbis.org.uk. Or you can send us your record by email nbis@norfolk.gov.uk, or by post. Records should contain information about : what you saw, where you saw it (grid reference, habitat and place name); how many glow-worms you saw; and who you are.

The survey has been launched as part of UK efforts to raise local awareness of biodiversity during the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB- UK). IYB is a United Nations campaign which seeks to highlight the role biodiversity plays in our lives, and to highlight efforts underway world-wide to safeguard this irreplaceable natural wealth.

Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service (NBIS) collects records of plants, animals, insects and fungi found in Norfolk. This is important so that we know what exists where, so it can be protected and conserved. Using Geographical Information System mapping, NBIS can help spot opportunities to enhance biodiversity - by joining up habitat fragments, for example.

You can use the new NBIS on-line recording facility to log all of your wildlife sightings. If you need any advice or further information, please get in touch: 01603 224458.

1. Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service (NBIS) collects and manages wildlife records. The centre operates on a not-for-profit basis providing information for those who are working for the conservation and enhancement of local biodiversity. Our database contains over one million species records. NBIS is always keen to receive additional records, particularly new sightings. Using Geographical Information System mapping, NBIS can help spot opportunities to enhance biodiversity - by joining up habitat fragments, for example. We don't have many records of glow-worms in Norfolk. They are probably under- recorded because only the adult females are easy to spot, and then only for a few hours over the course of a couple of weeks at night. If we have a better idea of where they are distributed we will be able to investigate whether populations are stable and what we can do to help them thrive. The new NBIS on-line recording facility allows you to record any wildlife sightings. www.nbis.org.uk

2. NBIS works closely with the Norfolk Biodiversity Partnership which is working to conserve, enhance and restore Norfolk's biological diversity. Read more at www.norfolkbiodiversity.org.

3. The IYB slogan is “Biodiversity if life”. The IYB website is www.biodiversityislife.net.

The main messages of the IYB are:

a. Humans are part of nature's rich diversity and have the power to protect or destroy it

b. Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth is essential to sustaining the living networks and systems that provide us all with health, wealth, food, fuel and the vital services our lives depend on

c. Human activity is causing the diversity of life on Earth to be lost at a greatly accelerated rate. These losses are irreversible, impoverish us all and damage the life support systems we rely on everyday. But we can prevent them.

d. 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity. Let's reflect on our achievements to safeguard biodiversity and focus on the urgency of our challenge for the future. Now is the time to act.

These messages are explained as follows:

“You are an integral part of nature; your fate is tightly linked with biodiversity, the huge variety of other animals and plants, the places they live and their surrounding environments, all over the world. You rely on this diversity of life to provide you with the food, fuel, medicine and other essentials you simply cannot live without. Yet this rich diversity is being lost at a greatly accelerated rate because of human activities. This impoverishes us all and weakens the ability of the living systems on which we depend, to resist growing threats such as climate change. 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity, and our people all over the world are working to safeguard this irreplaceable natural wealth and reduce biodiversity loss. This is vital for current and future human wellbeing. We need to do more. Now is the time to act.

4. More about glow-worms

As dusk falls in early summer, the wingless females waiting in the grass and low vegetation, display their lights, turning their bodies so their lamps are visible to the males flying above. Male glow-worms have much larger eyes than the females and they fly towards the light, so a glowing female soon attracts a mate. After mating, the female puts out her light and gets on with egg laying. The larvae which hatch from the tiny eggs are just 5mm long at first. They are predatory and feed on small slugs and snails which they seize with their jaws and inject with a toxin. This immobilises and liquefies the prey which can then be eaten. The larvae, which resemble the wingless adult female, live under stones and logs in damp places. The glow-worm life cycle takes one to three years, with adults emerging in June to July. Adult glow-worms don't feed and live only for a couple of weeks. Although it is the female glow-worm that emits the strongest light, all stages of this insect are faintly luminescent, including the male beetles, larvae and eggs. This may be a warning signal to predators like toads not to eat them, as they're mildly toxic. Glow worms are fairly widespread in Britain, but localised in distribution. They are usually found on grassy slopes, verges and hedge banks, on heaths and open grassland, especially in chalky areas. They are mostly nocturnal and dislike areas that have been cultivated, or grasslands that have been 'improved' (through addition of herbicides or fertiliser). Find out more about glow-worms at www.glowworms.org.uk.

5. Where to look. Your best chances of seeing glow-worms are from mid June to mid July; on a moonless or overcast night. Wait until your eyes can no longer make out colours; on heathland, grass verges, along disused railways lines, churchyards, woodland clearing, or rides.

Notes for Editors