A Glow in the Dark
GUEST BLOG - A Glow in the Dark
by
Ben Pulletz
The Glow-worm Lampyris noctiluca (or lightning bug as it is sometimes known) is a fascinating animal. Despite its name, it’s not actually a worm at all, but a beetle, and you can find it across much of the UK if you look hard enough. They like a variety of habitat including open woodlands, moorland, and heathland. If you are lucky, you may even find it outside your house hiding in the undergrowth. Glow-worms are usually found in locations where there is a good supply of small snails for larvae to feed on, and the best time of year to spot them is from early June to August. You would perhaps think it would be the males that glow. Instead, it is the wingless adult females that glow to attract the flying males, although both the larvae and eggs have also been known to emit light.
I’ve always wanted a photograph of a Glow-worm. I’ve even dreamt of it. One night, just over a year ago, there was a super moon. My instincts told me to go out in search of Glow-worms and try and get a picture. I walked from where I live to a local lane where the Glow-worm numbers flourish, and there seem to be more by the year which is an encouraging sign. After walking for what seemed like hours, searching hard, and lying in the undergrowth, I eventually spotted one out in the open, just as the moon was just rising. I lay down to get the correct angle and to line it up with the moon behind it, but the Glow-worm was too low down. I waited patiently for it to crawl further up the piece of grass and eventually everything came together, and I got the shot I wanted.
If you want to get an image of these fascinating creatures, I suggest you don some old clothes as you will be lying down in the thick undergrowth. Prepare to get stung, bitten, and dirty. I love it - for me that’s all part of getting the image. And, if you lie still for long enough and it’s amazing what you will see.
Ben Pulletz. September 2021.
Instagram: @benpulletz_photography
Website: https://feathersandhills.com/
Above; Ben’s resulting image. Canon EOS 5D mark IV with Canon EF100-400mm IS II USM lens. 1/80 second; f/5.6; ISO 3200. Handheld. ©Ben Pulletz
