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Glowing, glowing, gone: plunge in glow-worm numbers revealed
Exclusive: study shows a 75% fall in 18 years in England, with climate a clear factor
Damian Carrington Environment editor
@dpcarrington
Thu 5 Mar 2020 04.20 EST
Glow-worm numbers have plunged by three-quarters since 2001, research in England has revealed, with the climate crisis a clear factor.
The larvae feed on damp-loving snails, and increasingly hot and dry summers mean fewer prey and a greater risk of glow-worms becoming desiccated.
Some of the 19 sites studied across Essex are on nature reserves. The data there showed that clearing scrub and coppicing woods to open up ground helped offset glow-worm losses, indicating that conservation action is possible.
Glow-worms are small beetles and they exist in small patches across the UK. The females glow green to attract mates. They are wingless, making it hard for them to rebuild lost populations.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/05/glowing-glowing-gone-plunge-in-glow-worm-numbers-revealed
