Hiker's 'beautiful find' in Aussie national park: 'Looks like diamonds'

A hiker trekking through a southeast Queensland national park was awestruck last week when she stumbled across a “beautiful find” hanging off foliage.

Christine said she was walking on a trail in Binna Burra, which is surrounded by Lamington National Park, when she discovered the unusual sight. In an attempt to identify the “fabulous” strands of what look like beads of water linked together, she posted photos on a Facebook page dedicated to identifying fungi.

“I believe it’s not a fungi, but I would like to know what it is or what is the cause of it,” she inquired.

Growth confirmed to be glow worms

Much to her surprise, several experts said her discovery appeared to be glow worms, which Dr Chris Burwell, Senior Scientist and Curator Entomology at Queensland Museum, confirmed to Yahoo News is true.

“Yes they are definitely the fishing lines of glow worms. Glow worms are actually the immature stages (the larvae) of flies in the genus Arachnocampa,” he said.

• Homeowner stumped after incredible backyard discovery: 'What an amazing find'

• Aussies baffled by national park's 'unusual' seating decision

• Aussie woman's 'off putting' discovery in backyard: 'I'm freaking out'

“The particular glow worm species that would be at Lamington National Park (and the same one at Natural Bridge in the Numinbah Valley) is Arachnocampa flava. There are seven other glow-worm species in eastern Australia.

Despite some claims from social media users that such an encounter is rare, Dr Burwell told Yahoo “it’s not uncommon to find small colonies of glow worms in that general area, especially at night”.

Several people did encourage Christine to return to the area after the sun set, however she said it’s a 7km hike “before you get there”. “Then you have mud and stones and tree roots everywhere on the trail,” she explained.

Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the week’s best stories.