Alabama’s Dismals Canyon has a series of amazing underground caves that light up at night with beautiful blue lights, courtesy of some giant bio-luminescent gnat larvae! The Dismals Canyon critters are actually close relatives of the famous glowworms that are known to live in Australia and New Zealand. Nicknamed the Dismalites, they are actually larvae of a strange and unique endemic bug called the North American Ofelia fultoni. The insects emit a bright blue and green light in order to attract a buffet of delicious flying insects, and lucky for us, it’s also a pretty amazing sight to see!
There are a lot of environment factors that come into play when creating the perfect place for the glowing insects. Loads of humidity, places to hang, and a pretty substantial food supply are just a few of the things that make Dismals Canyon the perfect place for America’s little glowworms to call home.
“What makes the Dismals population so unusual is the large number of them. On nights when conditions are right the steep rock face looks like a star-filled sky.” - Dismals Canyon
The blue lights are created by a chemical reaction in the tail end of the insect, which creates a that cool glowing light. According to the experts, Dismalites are some of the “most blue lights produced via bio-luminescence.”
Dismals Canyon takes guests on nightly adventures into the caves in order to get a better peek at the amazing little biological lights. If you’re interested in attending, make sure to check the tour schedule daily, as it changes depending on when the sun goes down. And guides suggest that if you can, bring a red-filtered flashlight as it helps the light from the glowworms shine brighter! And don't forget to visit nearby Rainbow Falls.
For the most part, the glowworms are visible throughout the spring and summer months, but lucky for us prime viewing time is nearly upon us. The best time of year to catch a peek at the blue Dismalites is May through June, so you’ve only got a few short weeks before the show really gets started.