Nottinghamshire Glow Worms 2026
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I write this introduction at the start of the 2026 Glow Worm season and have all intention of ending the Nottinghamshire Glow Worm Survey after almost 15 years. I actually came close to ending the NGWS back in 2020 after the death of Dilys, but decided to continue with it for a few more years in the end.

And while the idea of a county wide Glow Worm survey was initially well received in 2012, Encouraging people to become engaged enough with the survey proved infuriatingly difficult and it is obvious that there's little interest anymore. I recieve very few records and people are clearly more likely to send any records directly to iRecord, rather than make a direct contribution to the NGWS.
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The Glow Worm is without doubt, one of our most fascinating insects. Famous for the ability to produce its own light, the green bioluminescent light emitted by the female Glow Worm has formed the basis of countless fairy tales and folklore over centuries.

Although still regarded by some authorities as being both nationally and locally common, surveys on behalf of the Nottinghamshire Glow Worm Survey, have showed this delightful beetle to be in serious decline across its restricted Nottinghamshire range.

The data collected by a number of recorders over the past 14 years, has helped confirm both a decline and a demise in Nottinghamshire's Glow Worm populations. However, getting people to sit up and take notice has proved to be rather difficult and it doesn't help when those very same authorities continue to denounce any existance of a decline. 

Habitat loss through urbanisation and industrial development, the use of pesticides and herbicides in modern farming practices and the increase in light pollution, are all thought to have contributed to the Glow Worm's decline, but none of these factors are unlikely to have been factors where the Glow Worm has traditionally been found in Nottinghamshire. It's never been a widespread beetle and has always been more or less confined to the Sherwood Forest area, where commercial forestry operations and site management have without doubt contributed towards its decline.

  
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But Nottinghamshire is still fortunate in having (once one of the UK's largest and most famous Glow Worm colonies) at Clipstone Old Quarter, although it too, has suffered a huge drop in Glow Worm numbers. For many years, Clipstone Old Quarter (located within the heart of Sherwood Forest) was synonymous for producing high Glow Worm numbers over a season, and quite often the UK's earliest records of both larvae and females. And as we enter yet another year, there is much to look forward to, despite the recent fall in Glow Worm numbers.
 

Help monitor Glow Worm distribution - contribute your records here  

Members of the public can contribute to the Nottinghamshire Glow Worm Survey and we welcome any Glow Worm records from within VC56 Nottinghamshire. The easiest way to contribute your records, is by clicking on the form on the right and completing the simple form, which takes a few minutes and helps. Contributions will also appear below.

 The form can also be used to send in any old Glow Worm records you may have, as old records are important in helping to determine a more accurate picture of Glow Worm distribution and how it has changed over time. And it is just as useful if we know where Glow Worms are not found, so please remember that negative results from a site are equally as important as positive results and will help our mapping of the Glow Worm's distribution.

Useful Glow Worm links on www.eakringbirds.com

  
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Glow Worm first dates 2008-2025
Refers to female Glow Worms only, not males or larvae 		   
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    2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
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Date of first female   May 27th May 24th May 13th May 30th June 8th May 18th May 23rd June 3rd May 20th May 24th May 31st May 20th June 3rd May 17th May 27th May 21st May 18th Unknown
     
 
Nottinghamshire Glow Worm Survey records 2026

I have decided to run the Nottinghamshire Glow Worm Survey for another year, but this is likely to be the last year I do. It is clear that very few are interested in going out surveying for Glow Worms and those that actually do, prefer to send records in to iRecord rather than even informing this survey. There is minimal interest in contributing records to the Nottinghamshire Glow Worm Survey, so I see little point in continually giving time over to it.

Contributors to the Nottinghamshire Glow Worm Survey 2026

Grateful thanks to the following people, who have contributed records on various platforms (both positive and negative) during 2026.

Trevor Pendleton. 		   
  
Surveyed   Site name   Grid ref   Site type/habitat   Qty   Notes   Recorder
February 27th   Clipstone Old Quarter   SK608674   Former Pine plantation and grass/scrub strip   0   No larvae recorded   TP.
March 4th   Clipstone Old Quarter   SK608674   Former Pine plantation and grass/scrub strip   0   No larvae recorded   TP.
March 9th   Clipstone Old Quarter   SK608674   Former Pine plantation and grass/scrub strip   0   No larvae recorded   TP.
March 13th   Clipstone Old Quarter   SK608674   Former Pine plantation and grass/scrub strip   1   Single larvae found under loose bark of felled Chestnut   TP.
March 3rd   Clipstone Old Quarter   SK644773   Former Pine plantation and grass/scrub strip   0   0   TP.
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The Nottinghamshire Glow Worm Survey
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