Glow Worm Tour/Flying Fox, O'Reilly's Lamington National Park, Brisbane

A Night with the Glow Worms

Led by our guide, Nathan, we explored the dark, mysterious rainforest, and learned some surprising things along the way. It was one of those adventures that makes you appreciate nature even more.

The Walk to the Glow Worms

Our journey started with us all holding red flashlights so our eyes could adjust to the dark. The red light wasn’t just for show—it helps you see without ruining your night vision. We were surprisingly able to see some creatures in the dark forest on our way to the glow worms. 

Nathan pointed out some cool (and somewhat intimidating) creatures. One was the Bark Frog, an endangered species that blends in perfectly with the bark of trees. We had to look closely to spot it. 

Another interesting critter we learned about was the Lamington Crayfish. These crayfish can live up to 30 years and grow as big as 30 cm. Nathan shared that it’s illegal to catch or harm one of these crayfish, with fines up to $5,000 and jail time. Hearing that was a great reminder of how seriously the park takes conservation and animal protection.

Finally, the Glow Worms

After a short walk, we reached the spot where the glow worms live. If you’ve ever romanticized glow worms as cute little glowing fairies, Nathan quickly busted that myth. The glow isn’t some magical fairy light—it’s actually their poop. The glowing stuff you see is the waste they produce.

Glow worms use their light to attract food—basically, they’re fishing for insects. They spin webs made of sticky silk-like threads, similar to a spider's web, which catch bugs flying by. The light draws in the insects, and when they get stuck, the glow worms feast.

Nathan also explained that glow worms are actually maggots, not worms. They start their lives by hatching from about 100 eggs, but only a few survive because they end up eating each other (their own siblings). It's a tough world, but they need the nutrients to build their glowing webs.

What’s really wild is that glow worms have been around for 180 million years—since before the dinosaurs! Even more surprising, they haven't really evolved much at all  in all that time. 

Nature’s Predators

Another surprising fact was how the glow worms don’t just catch flies. They’re known to trap and eat spiders too. Spiders, with all their legs, can get tangled up in the glow worms' webs, and the more they struggle, the more stuck they get. The glow worms don’t mind at all—they'll feast on them if they can.

Re-Romanticizing the Glow Worms

Even after learning how tough and kind of gross the glow worm life cycle is, Nathan still managed to bring back a little magic. He reminded us to think of them as a "Galaxy of Glow Worms." When you look at the soft, glowing lights spread out in the dark rainforest, it really does feel like you're staring at a tiny, living constellation in the middle of the forest. It’s a beautiful, peaceful sight that makes you forget all about the tough parts of their life cycle.

Images (very hard to photograph glow worms but I tried my best)