Hatrack River Forum: Happy Firefly Eve!

This is topic Happy Firefly Eve! in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :

OK, its not Serenity Day.

Last evening I stepped outside to do some yardwork when I was amazed by the number of lightning bugs floating gracefully over my yard.

This evening I allowed Sasha to stay up extra late just so he could have his first firefly experience. I wish I could have gotten a good photo of him, as he sat on the wooden airplane swing his great grandfather had made, swinging slowly with a great grin on his mouth, while fireflies danced and flashed all around him.

Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :

I miss Fireflies. I haven't seen them in ages.

Posted by Palliard (Member # 8109) on :

I haven't ever seen a firefly.

Yeah, I know, I need to get out more. Growing up on the west coast has certain disadvantages.

What do they look like? The seem to be common enough that nobody bothers to take pictures of them.

[ June 24, 2006, 11:27 PM: Message edited by: Palliard ]

Posted by Theca (Member # 1629) on :

I saw some today too, for the first time this year. [Smile]

I grew up in Texas, so seeing them is always a real treat for me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly

Really, all you see are these little yellow flashes in the dusk, Palliard, about 1-3 feet off the ground.

Posted by Steev (Member # 6805) on :

Partly because of the difficulty involved in taking pictures of them.

a picture

The white specks are fireflies.

Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :

I love fireflies. They come out in force during the Summer here. I was over at my best friend's house the other night and a small swarm of them settled over the hot tub we were in. Made for some really cool mood lighting.

Posted by MightyCow (Member # 9253) on :

I have to say, fireflies were one of the coolest things about Nebraska. Coming from California, I had never seen them before, so for the first few minutes I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, because I kept catching little flashes off to the side.

I'll stick with CA, but it would be nice if there were fireflies here.

Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :

Palliard, do you have box elder bugs where you are? They kinda look like those, but they don't have the same annoying habits. And they have a pretty glowy light on their bottoms that slowly blinks on and off as they fly in the night--they are so beautiful and magical! That wiki picture was a little creepy-- here's another image, and another .

They're fun to catch and release--they will light up in your hand while you hold them. I think there were more of them when I was a child than there are now, but that could just be that I spent more time playing outdoors in the evening.

Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :

None of these pictures catch the magic that is lightning bugs. (We don't call them fireflies here.)

Posted by Jeesh (Member # 9163) on :

Some say, for every lighting bug you catch and set free, a wish comes true.

Palliard, imagine sitting outside on a dark night. Suddenly, a yellow light flashes. Then another! And another! You walk over and one flashes right in front of you. You catch it. When you open your hands, a little bug is inside. It flies up and flashes a light on it's tail. All around you, lightning bugs flash. Slowly, but they seem to dance.

We call them fireflies and lighning bugs here. Usually lightning bugs though.