Hodnet Railway Line
C/O Conservation & Ranger Team
Countryside Offices, Swan Hill
Ellesmere
Shropshire
SY12 0DQ
01691 624448
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Description
A rare colony of glow-worms can be found on this disused railway line, which is partly in a cutting and partly on an embankment.If you plan to visit the site you might want to take a look at the seasonal notice attached to this page telling you things to look out for, work planned and forthcoming events.
A rare colony of glow-worms can be found on this disused railway line, which is partly in a cutting and partly on an embankment.
Glow-worm Facts
A glow- worm is not a worm but a beetle (Lampyris nocctiluca).
Only the female glows and it can be seen over 45 meters away
The males have wings and have large eyes a must for spotting the females.
Females cannot fly
There are two species of glow-worm in Britain the common Glow-worm and the, very rare, Lesser Glow-worm.
The light is a chemical reaction involving two substances called luciferin and luciferase.
The reaction is so efficient releasing at least 98% of its energy as light (a light bulb only produces 5% light the rest is wasted on heat)
Adults do not eat at all they have no mouthparts.
The Amazing Glow-Worms Walk
The weather for the glow worm hunt (Friday 30th June 2006) was perfect both for the glow worm and the 27 people plus local television that came to see these fascinating creatures. Everyone met at 10pm and we walked the site to familiarise ourselves with the site layout. As dark descended we were able to spot the glowing females which were busily trying to attract the flying males. We counted 10 glow worms throughout the site but since they glow between mid June to mid July we are only seeing a glimpse of how many might be there.
If you missed the walk go along and have a look yourselves but please be careful, due to the nature of the site there are many slip and trip hazards. If you do count any glow worms or spot anything unusual please contact us so that we can update our records.
The site is also important for a wide variety of birds especially Buzzards, Kestrels, Corn Bunting and Barn owls. There are plenty of Banded snails which is one of the main food items of the glow-worm.
Visitors taking dogs should be aware that this is a narrow site and is sometimes grazed in order to maintain a variety of vegetation conditions suitable for glow-worms.
Opening Times
Disclaimer
The details displayed on this page are correct at the time of publication however, Shropshire Tourism would like to advise all visitors to check prices & opening times with the venue prior to traveling in case of changes that might have occured since the publication of this page. Whilst Shropshire Tourism endeavours to ensure that the information on this site is correct, no warranty, express or implied, is given as to its accuracy and Shropshire Tourism does not accept any liability for error or omission. The directions above are for planning purposes only and should be used alongside a general roadmap or satnav system. Variables such as road/construction works, traffic, weather conditions etc may cause alterations to the route.
