It’s all glow at The Lost Gardens of Heligan

Already home to a vast array of wildlife, The Lost Gardens of Heligan have welcomed 50 new rare residents to the iconic estate.

We've teamed up with Keep It Wild & Derek Gow Consultancy to introduce 50 glow-worms at our record breaking Bugginghum Palace bug hotel.

This long-term project’s aim is to bolster existing glow-worm numbers and to introduce them to a different part of the Heligan Estate.

With an increase in light pollution, climate change and a loss of habitat, the UK’s glow-worm population sadly continues to decline.

Glow-worm larvae like to feed on damp-loving snails but, with increasingly hot and dry summers, this has led to fewer prey. The combination of these factors has resulted in glow-worm numbers plummeting by an astonishing 75% in just 18 years in England.

This introduction forms part of a national reintroduction plan which hopes to see a steady increase in numbers.

Nick Viney from Keep It Wild said “You never forget spotting your first glow-worm, we want to share this magical experience with as many people as possible”.

Visitors to The Lost Gardens of Heligan may be lucky enough to see these glow-worms in rough grass areas within the garden along the edge of the ancient woodlands and Cornish hedgerows. 

Our Wildlife Coordinator Toby Davies said “With glow-worms on the decline across the country, it’s more important than ever to protect this special species. And I hope that other estates will follow suit to us in releasing the glow worms of the future”

It is hoped that other estates will follow Heligan on this journey to a brighter glow-worm future.