It is raining and blowing a gale as I flash my UV torch around, searching for lights in the darkness. There, a bright red spider web; here, some luminescent fungi; now a twinkling tortoise, Timothy, sheltering by the wall. I am exploring the gardens of Gilbert White’s House in Selborne, Hampshire, which is holding a light trail with a difference this month.
Gilbert White (1720-1793) is considered the father of ecology, one of the first people to observe living creatures in their own habitats, rather than studying dead specimens. He discovered the role of earthworms; developed the idea of the food chain; and identified species including the harvest mouse, noctule bat, chiffchaff, wood warbler and willow warbler.
It is fitting, then, that his home – now a museum – is hosting an eco light festival (£12.50 adults/£9 children, open 4.30pm-8pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until 21 December). Light trails have become a Christmas fixture: the Jolly Festive website lists more than 125 across the UK for 2024, from city centres to stately homes, botanical gardens to ancient woodlands. But bright lights can be bad news for nocturnal creatures. In its advice on how to light your garden safely at night, the Royal Horticultural Society suggests keeping it as dark as possible (though it is running RHS Glow, “an after-dark spectacle of lights” at all five of its gardens. Hmm).
In White’s garden the lighting is low-level, solar-powered or from renewable sources, and hours are strictly limited. Visitors who are expecting Blackpool Illuminations or an all-singing, all-dancing Christmas at Kew-style light trail may be disappointed. But those who want to spot “glow-worms” and other representations of woodland creatures among gently twinkling lights will be captivated. And yes, there is still a tunnel of light for selfies …
The festival is also a chance to explore the house after-hours, including the library, study, bedroom and great parlour, built to host parties. Artists have added to the atmosphere with animal-themed paper lanterns, willow sculptures, a wiggly worm visual and a poetry…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Travel | The Guardian…