Last year we undertook a “Special Mission” to count glow worms on a route of 500 metres in length near our house. I posted about the Special Mission in July last year. We were contacted again this year and were on the road at 11.00 p.m. last Saturday.
I was a bit disappointed with the photographs I took but it was important to try, as seemingly they are often able to tell which species they are, even from fuzzy photographs. We saw eight females but no males and no couples mating. Last year we had found fourteen on our second attempt and we were able to photograph a couple mating. This year has been very dry so perhaps less snails for the larval food?
The previous day Kourosh had noticed a glow worm under the apricot tree in the back garden when he had been pulling back the weeds. So we checked if it was still there.
She was still there on Saturday night and we also noticed a lot of little snails ( of the Clausilies family, I think).
This one was in the front garden and she was producing a strong light but still no male.
I posted this just to give everybody a poke if they had intended to notify http://www.asterella.eu/index.php? in France (or indeed to notify the various organisation with similar projects in other countries) and might have forgotten to check their garden.
We do not often go wandering around after midnight but with the street light extinguished it is beautiful to watch the stars in a cloudless summer sky.
When we got back to the house we found an Elephant Hawk-Moth (Deilephila elpenor) waiting for us on the kitchen window ledge so perhaps we should take after dark walks more frequently.
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Born in Scotland I have lived in England, Iran, USA and Greece. The house and land was bought twelve years ago in fulfilment of the dream of living in France that my Francophile husband nurtured. We had spent frequent holidays in France touring the more northerly parts and enjoying the food, scenery, architecture and of course gardens. However, we felt that to retire in France and enjoy a more clement climate than we currently had in Aberdeen we would need to find somewhere south of the river Loire but not too south to make returning to visit the UK onerous.
The year 2000 saw us buying our house and setting it up to receive us and the family on holidays. The garden was more a field and we were helped by my son to remove the fencing that had separated the previous owners’ goats, sheep and chickens. We did inherit some lovely old trees and decided to plant more fruit trees that would survive and mature with the minimum of care until we took up permanent residence.
The move took place in 2006 and the love hate relation with the “garden” started.
There was so much to do in the house that there was little energy left for the hard tasks in the garden. It was very much a slow process and a steep learning curve. Expenditures have been kept to a minimum. The majority of the plants have been cuttings and I try to gather seeds wherever I can. The fruit trees have all been bought but we have tender hearts and cannot resist the little unloved shrub at a discount price and take it as a matter of honour to nurse it back to health.
This year I have launched my Blog hoping to reach out to other gardeners in other countries. My aim is to make a garden for people to enjoy, providing shady and sunny spots with plants that enjoy living in this area with its limestone based subsoil and low rainfall in a warm summer. Exchanging ideas and exploring mutual problems will enrich my experience trying to form my French garden.
August 9, 2016 at 8:28 pm
Hi, We have not seen glow worms in our area. I think it is too cold. However we also had a visit from a very elegant Elephant Hawk Moth, which is an introduced species to BC and Canada.
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August 10, 2016 at 12:25 pm
Plants and beasties really get around these days! I hope the caterpillars do not devastate any of your natural plants as they are very large. The moth is very impressive, though. Amelia
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August 9, 2016 at 9:01 pm
I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen a glow worm but we do have fireflies. They blink on and off after dark.
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August 10, 2016 at 12:22 pm
I have never seen fireflies but I would love too! Amelia
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August 9, 2016 at 11:13 pm
Glow worms are such amazing little critters. The colors on that moth are beautiful. I’d like to go out mothing this time of year but the mosquitoes are unbearable. 😦
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August 10, 2016 at 11:34 am
It tends to get cooler here in the evening so we are not so bothered. Amelia
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August 10, 2016 at 4:56 am
What a shame that there are so few males around for your delightful female.
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August 10, 2016 at 6:51 am
Good on you for sticking with the glow-worm surveys. And the moth was a nice treat!
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August 10, 2016 at 11:33 am
We are getting quite fond of our glow worms now 🙂 Amelia
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August 11, 2016 at 5:54 am
The Elephant Hawk Moth is a reminder of how beautiful moths can be.
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August 11, 2016 at 6:41 am
I think moths are often more beautiful than butterflies, this one is such a beautiful pink. Amelia
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August 13, 2016 at 12:38 am
We never used to do night walks, but a couple of years ago, we discovered lightning bugs (fireflies, whatever.) Since then, we’ve made it a practice, in season. This year we were surprised by the return of bats–who’d been scarce for a while.
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August 13, 2016 at 4:57 pm
It is a good idea so that you can enjoy encounters with a different set of creatures. Amelia
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