Waiting. Hoping——Glowing.
Not knowing…
Or maybe I should crawl back under a stone and die?
Not I.
I’d almost given up hope of seeing ‘Lampyris noctiluca’ this year because I thought I’d left it too late in the season – and the Moor being so dry…
I’d almost arrived back at my car when I suddenly spotted a single dot-like lamp glowing amidst the dense ferns – amidst the Hawthorns. Its intensity belied the fact that its host wouldn’t have eaten for days – and won’t…
Female glow-worms emit Luciferin to attract a ‘fly-by-night’ mate, the female is earthbound; a wingless beetle of a sort, while the winged male is lampless. If he finds her, she lays her eggs somewhere dark and safe – then fades——dies; she dies either way…
I hope that somewhere on Dartmoor – beneath a stone or in a crevice – there’s a clutch of tiny, new-laid eggs…
fine! Bravo dear Melanie. Yes, these insects are mini-allegories of all lives, our own included….go for it…cheers, Christopher
Lovely Melanie, a beautiful and fascinating post. It is such a pleasure to see you in my in box. (please excuse me if I don’t always comment but I always do pop over to read and learn.)
Message from Tina Poppy: the feeling is mutual. X