Glowworms!

On Friday night, Stacey and I attended an evening tour at the Wellington Botanic Garden. We were looking for glowworms, Arachnocampa luminosa, the larval stage in the life of an insect called the fungus gnat. These little worm-like creatures prefer to live in very dark and damp locations, often near water. They park themselves on the undersides of creek banks and ledges, and from there they drop lines of sticky silk. The silk catches flying insects which are attracted to the scene by the luminescent light on the tail-end of the glowworm. The hungrier the worm is, the brighter the glow. The light is slightly greenish, much like the coloration of fireflies. When they are inside of caves, there can be thousands of them, and it almost looks like a starry night sky on the cavern ceiling.

This is a magical experience that anyone coming to New Zealand must do, whether in a the caves of Waitomo or in an outdoor setting. Glowworms occur in only a few countries, New Zealand and Australia among them. Strolling through the bush at night, with the tree ferns overhead and only the sounds of the wind and the creek around you, with these tiny sparkling lights all over the forest, is quite special. One can easily imagine how earlier humans would have been convinced there were strange creatures roaming out there. It is as though you are surrounded by wood sprites or fairies, their magic pixie dust twinkling in the dark.