There are several ghosts haunting the UK’s wild places, from the scarily elusive ghost orchid to the ghost moth, named for the hovering display flight of the spectral white males. One of the most recently discovered is the ghost slug.
This predatory slug lives up to its name with a white or incredibly pale grey body. It also has some spooky habits, such as hunting earthworms through the soil at night. The ghost slug was only formally described and named in 2008, from specimens found in Wales. Its scientific name, Selenochlamys ysbryda¸references ysbryd, the Welsh word for ghost.
South Wales is its main haunt in the UK, though there have been sightings in a few other spots in England and Wales, including one in Stroud. However, it’s not thought to be a native to these shores and has also now been found in mountain forests in the Crimea.
As the light starts to fade, look out for a golden-green glimmer on the rocks. A closer look will reveal moss sprawling across the surface, shifting from dull green to glowing as the light hits it just right.
This plucky plant is known as goblin’s gold. It has evolved to thrive in gloomy places, where it’s too dark for other plants to survive. To get enough sunlight to grow, the moss has tiny lens-like cells that focus the faint light onto its chloroplasts. The luminous glow is a delightful side effect of this superb survival strategy.
Witches are a common sight on Halloween night, travelling door-to-door, filling their cauldrons with sweets. But traces of witchery can be found in the wild all year round. Folklore and nature are often entangled, leading to many species taking on mystical names – and witches are a popular source of inspiration.
You won’t find a Mother Shipton in autumn, but there’s a whole coven of witch-themed wildlife to be discovered. There are fungi known as witch’s butter and witch’s hat – one a blackened, jelly-like lump, the other a conical waxcap. You might even find trees draped with witches’ whiskers, a bushy green beard lichen that thrives in woodlands with clean air.
Their most famous call is a long, quavering ‘hoo-ooo-oo’, usually from a male – though females have their own screechy version. However, you’re just as likely to hear a sharp ‘ke-wick’. This is a contact call, given by both sexes as they communicate across the treetops.
These are just a few of the wild wonders with a connection to the supernatural, how many more can you discover?
October is the month that’s usually associated with spooks and ghouls, but a midsummer walk around a field or woodland at dusk is the best time to catch sight of the ghost moth.
Indeed, the spectacle of this insect hovering over grasslands with its diaphanous white wings in June and July makes it one of the easiest moths to spot and identify.
Known scientifically as Hepialus humuli humuli, the ghost moth’s English name is derived from the appearance of the male of the species, the swaying flight display of which is used to attract females.
Poignantly neither has working mouth parts and cannot feed, which means the sole purpose of their remaining earthly existence is to mate and produce eggs.
The spotty white caterpillars of ghost moths emerge between July and May and live on the roots of grasses and plants such as stinging nettle, dock, burdock and wild strawberry. Their lifecycle usually takes two years to complete, which means they often spend two winters as larvae.
Ghost moths are members of the swift moth family. They have wingspans of between 40 and 70mm and the females are slightly larger than the males, with yellow forewings and distinctive orange markings.
Did you know..?
Spiders seen scuttling around our homes at this time of year are most likely to be males in search of a mate.
Wild Highlights of October
Starry skies
Hunter’s moon on Thursday, October 17
Return of field fares and redwings
Gold, orange and bronze tree foliage
Hedgerow fruits such as sloes, rose hips and the last blackberries
Beech masts, sweet chestnuts and hazelnuts
