Glow worm Surveys

The glow worm spotting season is upon us already and a small group of Derby Rangers were out last night in the dark (and the rain and the wind) on the Mickleover Greenway. Not an ideal night for glow worms or human beings, but we did see 21 of the little creatures, and of particular interest were those in the area West of Bonehill Gate where the ground was only recently cleared, the grass being much shorter there and better for male glow worms and spotters to see the tiny green light of the females.
The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust are collating all available information on glow worms and we will be submitting our records.
So far as we know the only other glow worm sites close to Derby are at Coxbench and Stanley, but there could be others, as yet undiscovered. Most sites are on disused railway tracks where there is limestone ballast, a suitable habitat for the tiny snails which provide food for the glow worms.