![]() ![]() Uwharrie glow worm, Photo by Ruth Ann Grissom It raced around as if panicked by the light, so I quickly returned it to the spot I’d caught it. I took it inside, put it on a white plate and tried to snap a few photos. Six tiny legs clustered near a head the size of a pin. The enchanting glow emanated from a brownish, flattened, segmented worm about an inch long. One evening, I fell to my knees and plucked a specimen from the short grass along the driveway. After a deep dive into the world of fireflies, I learned the term generally refers to a lighting bug in its larval or pupal stage, but it can also be applied to wingless adults such as the female Shadow Ghost ( Phausis inaccensa). The source of these mysterious displays is a creature commonly referred to as a glow worm. She was accustomed to lightning bugs hovering over the field in midsummer, but on that night the land itself seemed electrified. For a moment, she wondered if thousands of tiny aliens had landed on Earth and settled in the grass. One night, she happened to look out a window facing the small hay field north of the house. It’s a taste of an event Mama witnessed years ago. Our path is often illuminated by pulses of light along the driveway. In Fall, we also pay attention to the ground. ![]() We tip our faces toward the sky, drinking in the stars, the planets and the Milky Way. Even on a moonless night, we can usually find our way without flashlights. We wait until dark to saunter down the driveway and close the yellow gate. We have an evening routine in the Uwharries. ![]()
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