Midsummer's Eve

Midsummer's Eve is the perfect time to go looking for Glow Worms, Lampyris noctiluca, a type of beetle. The very warm weather meant a walk on the Downs, above Hill Road Eastbourne, was very pleasant in a cooling breeze.

Looking east over Eastbourne as the sun set. The dark line above the horizon is the shadow of the Earth.

Late sunset looking west across the Downs. It stayed light until after 10pm.

The section of the South Downs Way that runs west down to Jevington is very wide, with some longer grasses at the sides of the track. Walking along as it got dark I began to see several little points of greenish light. These were the glowing underside of the abdomens of the Glow Worms.

A Glow Worm.

A female Glow Worm in a Characteristic pose, clutching a grass stem. The camera flash obliterates the glowing abdomen.

A total of 19 females were seen between Jevington and the round barrow on Willingdon Hill. I have submitted these sightings to the UK Glow Worm 2017 survey.

A beautiful emerald green beetle in my garden at Hill Road. I think it is a female Flower Beetle Oedemera nobilis.