Nightime safari

I took Bug Mad Girl up the hills tonight for a nighttime safari, in particular to look for glow worms. We got there about 8.30 and watched the sun setting.

First thing we spotted was a swarm of flying ants, all over a plaque at the top of the hill. I think the nest must have been underneath the plaque as they were all over it. As soon as you went anywhere near them, they covered you. Luckily they didn't bite, but they were a bit of a nuisance.

 

There was lots of other wildlife around, including spiders, moths, roosting butterflies and ladybirds.

We waited for the sun to go down and it was really quite dark when we left at 10pm. No sign of any glow worms though! Apparently they are only around for 2 weeks in June/July, so perhaps we missed them. Or maybe they need it to be darker.

The way back through the woods was very dark and a bit creepy. There was a lot of rustling and strange noises. We heard a bird screeching (maybe an owl?) and saw some bats.