Presented by Charlotte Martin Scottish Glow-worms and Mark Pollitt South West Scotland Environmental Information Centre.

Kindly hosted and chaired by Chris Cathrine director of Caledonian Conservation

Fireflies, Lightning Bug, Glow-worm. Words that conjure images of almost mythical creatures from warmer climates. But here in Scotland we have one of the two UK native Firefly species.

Lampyris noctiluca, commonly known as the Common Glow-worm is very little known in Scotland and even less well recorded. England’s populations are known to be in decline. Could Scotland have greater populations and a bigger distribution than is currently shown? Are they thriving or are they facing the same pressures as their southern counterparts?

Join us for an evening of talks and discussions. Hopefully we can inspire you to go out and look for this most charismatic of bioluminescent beetles!

The evening will consist of short talks from:

Charlotte Martin – Lampyris noctiluca obsessive! Her Summer is spent surveying for them across Scotland with the rest of the year dedicated to research, connecting with site managers and owners, public engagement and fund raising for field study equipment. She will present the species lifecycle, ecology along with a short report of her findings so far.

Mark Pollitt (SWSEIC) – Mark will discuss his region as a suspected stronghold for the species as well as the importance of accurately recording them either through local environmental records centres or the species-specific form on iRecord.

Davina Gray – Davina is a keen and knowledgeable botanist. She will discuss a known habitat and its vegetation classification (NVC).

Fiona Rogerson – Fiona is an accomplished wildlife recorder/observer and keen environmentalist who accompanied Charlotte on a survey in 2019 and saw her first glowing female. She will discuss what that first magical sighting was like.

Summing up will be Chris Cathrine director of Caledonian Conservation who will deliver expert guidance on looking for them safely, responsibly and the benefits of forging good relations with landowners and managers. Followed by the opportunity for you to ask us any questions.

The event will be held via Zoom, Joining link and instructions will be sent prior to event

Booking essential