Fireflies

[BvBPL]

One thing I like about this time of year and the place I live is the number and activity of fireflies in my yard. Around this time of year at dusk there are a ton of fireflies out there. It can be really quite a spectacle. It is a nice little bit of country here in the city.

Do you have fireflies in your neighborhood? Have you ever caught fireflies in a jar and put it by your bedside? (you're never too old for that, by the way) Do you have any interesting firefly stories to share? (I'm not really sure what constitutes an "interesting" story about fireflies, but please share if you have any that fit the bill.) Have you ever been interested in a firefly discussion only to be disappointed that it was about some Joss Whedon show?

Did you know...

that fireflies light up to attract mates?
that while fireflies are a feature of some Japanese folklore, they are not native to Japan and were introduced by man?

 

[Berzerker]

ru in Japan? y'all are warm enough for fireflies?

we get them here in Kansas later, maybe August

and they are cool, just kick back with an ice cold beer at dusk and watch the natural fireworks

 

[BvBPL]

I'm in New England. They've been out for a while, but the heat wave we're in really makes them go crazy.

 

[Verarde]

I love fireflies. We live out in the country, so we get them every warm summer night. A friend of mine had some people from Belgium over to stay for a bit, and she was telling me that it was really cool to see the children experience fireflies for the first time.

 

[Joecoolyo]

I live in the suburbs and get them. They're pretty neato.

Don't know when though.

 

[Cutlass]

I used to see them when I was a kid. I don't much see them any more.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

I'm a fan of any insect that can't cause an awful, painful death.

 

[NickyJ]

You better believe that there are fireflies out here in the stix. And I love them. There's nothing like seeing thousands of little lights rising from the ground in the twilight.

I'm a fan of any insect that can't cause an awful, painful death.

Cockroaches don't do that. Do you love them too?

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

Cockroaches don't do that. Do you love them too?

View my comment in the context of my location

 

[Save_Ferris]

Where I live, Fireflies only come for a few months and are extremely popular, until foxes kill them. It's a shame that they're gone.

 

[Disgustipated]

No fireflies in the desert. When I visited my family back in Maryland they had what they called lightning bugs. Are they the same thing? I'm not sure. They were cool.

 

[Mango Elephant]

No fireflies in the desert. When I visited my family back in Maryland they had what they called lightning bugs. Are they the same thing? I'm not sure. They were cool.

Yes.

We have them in NC.

 

[Winner]

Saw a few yesterday.

 

[emzie]

I haven't seen them in years, now that you mention it. Wonder if they're less common here than back in the US.

 

[Cynovolans]

I normally see a ton every summer, but lately I've only seen a few.

 

[duckstab]

In Austin the firefly presence is strangely spotty. In our present neighborhood we get a handful, in our old one there were none at all. I've been to a few parts of town where they were fairly abundant. I could never notice any particular feature (elevation, vegetation, presence of water, etc.) that might plausibly explain the odd distribution.

Back where I grew up in New Jersey, we had tons of them every night in summer.

 

[Disgustipated]

I hope they aren't going the way of the bees. I haven't heard of any decrease in populations though. Maybe just urban sprawl causing perceived decreases?

 

[DroopyTofu]

I get them here in Tennessee and like them. I very strongly associate them with summer. My girlfriend goes to Los Angeles for the summer every year and has complains that she misses fireflies.

 

[emzie]

I remember one summer at a YMCA camp fireflies being more numerous against the backdrop of the tree line than were there stars visible. It was about as magical as I can remember anything being.

 

[sophie]

No, we don't get fireflies out here.

It's the price we pay for the weather, the beaches, the mountains, the beautiful golden countryside, the great cities, the cool people, etc.