We may have watched films depicting magical, glowing landscapes on other (fictitious) planets that capture our imagination (the movie Avatar comes to mind here). But did you know there are similar, equally stunning places right here on Earth that offer real-life glowing goodness too?
© Joseph Michael
One of these places is located right in New Zealand, where photographer Joseph Michael captured these fascinating photos of this glowing cave. The cave is actually covered with colonies of bioluminescent fungus gnats and their larvae, commonly called glowworms. Says the artist:
This strange species was first found in 1871 in a local gold mine, and was mistakenly thought to be related to Europe’s glowworm beetle, before people realized that it was larvae they were looking at. Arachnocampa luminosa spends most of its life as a larva 3 to 5 millimeters long, for about 6 to 12 months, then transitions into a pupa for about 1 to 2 weeks, before it finally turns into an adult fly. They don’t fly very well, tending to stay in large colonies, preying on other species like midges, mayflies, caddis flies, mosquitos, moths, or even small snails or millipedes.
Those strands you see are silky strands spun by the larvae, which are snares that trap prey with droplets of mucus. According to Wikipedia:
It’s amazing to see how our planet is filled with these mind-blowing, unique experiences and creatures that are real, and not the stuff of the silver screen – all the more reason to treasure our earthly home. More images over at Joseph Michael.
