Main content

Nature's nightshift

At night, in mid-July, the chalk downlands of southern England come alive to nature's nightshift. Rabbits are more active at night when they are less likely to be seen. On the field margins, wingless female glow-worms emit a green light to attract the flying males. Banded snails are abundant on chalk grasslands in summer and the larvae of glow-worms feed on them, cleaning their complicated mouth parts with a brush-like device at the end of their tails. Using the weight of its body, a larva will climb on to the snail's shell to topple it on to its back. It then immobilises it with a digestive chemical and devours its soft flesh with its piercing jaws.

Release date:

Duration:

3 minutes

This clip is from

Featured in...

More clips from HIGH SUMMER