You might have heard of fireflies that glow and light up the sky, but glowing worms? In Alabama?

You may not be familiar with Dismalites, but these fascinating bioluminescent creatures are known to reside in just a few places in the world, including some remote caves on an 85-acre national park in Alabama. Glowworms (Orfelia fultoni) are strange little creatures that can only be found in 3 places on the planet: New Zealand, Australia, and at Dismals Canyon, Alabama, where they’re given the name, “Dismalites” because Dismals Canyon is the only place where these specific glow worms display their bioluminescence in such high concentrations. Informally known as Dismalites, they are the larvae stage of a unique, native and endemic species of insect that emits a bright blue-green light to attract food, in the form of other flying insects.

Guided night tours allow visitors to see these unique insects and best time to visit is from April – October.

For more information please visit: dismalscanyon.com/dismalites

About 13 miles south of Russellville lies Dismals Canyon, a privately owned, 85-acre sandstone gorge with large rock formations and two waterfalls. Many years of moving water sculpted the topography into rock shelters, natural rock bridges and a 16-inch-wide rock squeeze known as “Fat Man’s Misery.” Walk the 1.5-mile trail to see and feel the formations while also delving into the lush landscape of tulip poplars, beech trees, hemlocks, mosses and ferns. Visit on nights in May and June when a unique element lights up the canyon. Dismalites, sometimes called glow worms, are fly larvae (Orfelia fultoni) that emit a bluish light to attract prey. Special guided night tours reveal these dismalites, the only bioluminescent insect in North America.

For more information email alabama@deep-south-usa.com