Glow Worms!

A few days ago I mentioned that there are innumerable things to do in Bermuda, and that many of them are brief, but should be experienced all the same.  Nothing is a better example of this than the Glow Worms.

Odontodyllis enopia is the Bermuda Glow Worm.  While reports of the Glow worm date back to Columbus approaching the America's, this particular critter is currently known to inhabit the shallow waters around Bermuda.  Not being all that big on worms, I really can't vouch for any other worms anywhere else in the world.  If the descendants of Columbus' worms survived the industrialization of the America's and still hang out over there, I have not yet heard of them.  So in my limited worm knowledge, I can safely say that these are the only glowing worms I have ever heard about.

Here's the deal.  If you want to see the glow worms, you have to make a pretty dedicated plan to do so.  You can only see the glow worms between May and October to start with.  In addition to that, you can only see them on those months on the 2nd and 3rd days after a full moon.  So now you need a calendar, and a lunar chart if you are serious about this.  That's a good start.  Next you need an weather report with sun and moon times and an accurate watch.  That's because you can only see them between May and October on the 2nd and 3rd nights after a full moon, at precisely 56 minutes after official sunset.  At exactly that time the female worms rise to the surface and emit a phosphorescent goo to attract the males.  The males race to the top, emitting a green bioluminescent flash to signal that they are coming, and in a literal neon green flurry of squirmy flashing fecundity that can be measured in seconds, it's all over for another lunar cycle.  You also need to be in a good location at this precise time, just to make the challenge interesting,  This whole thing is a bit perplexing to me.  I don't know if I am more bothered by the fact that this next photo is the best picture I have of this event, or if it is more unnerving that a bunch of invertebrate worms are better at organization, scheduling, and astrology than I am.  I think the next chance to see them will be June 15th at 9:23 pm, but I warned you, the worms are better at this than me.

I tried to watch them once at Flatt's Village but they were scarce.  The dock at Ferry Reach is supposed to be a good place to see them (See "The Forts at Ferry Reach"), or Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute does summer boat tours to see the worms.  I think my best viewing was when a friend, Steve, took a couple of us out in a boat to some of the smaller islands...not only did we see lots of neon green worm sex, but it was pretty cool to cruise back to shore in the boat at night.  There were numerous fish drawn to the light that were leaping alongside the boat all the way -- quite the thing for this "flatlander" (Saskatchewan girl) to see fish flying along side us at "road speed".  That memory definitely still makes me smile!

This video was on the local news, it may give you a better idea.  That chirping in the background is Bermuda's Whistling Frog.