The Bug Geek

Insects. Doing Science. Other awesome, geeky stuff.

Hay field fireflies

8 Comments Posted by on June 12, 2010

I’m not a religious person by any stretch.  I’m not a particularly spiritual person, either.

But there is something about the sight of a hay field dressed in hundreds of dancing, twinkling green lights that stirs my heart and nourishes my soul and makes me love every rock, blade of grass and living creature on earth all at the same time.    It makes me downright mushy, truth be told.  I am blessed with this glorious spectacle of buggy eye-candy every early summer, and I swear I could spend all night completely mesmerized by the sight.  I never tire of it.  

I’m glad I got to see it before I leave…

My only regret is that I can’t capture it with my camera.  The green-lit dance will stay with me in my dreams for weeks to come, though, of that I have no doubt.

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Coleoptera (Beetles), Country life, Insects

8 responses to “Hay field fireflies”

  1. Amber Coakley June 12, 2010 at 9:47 PM

    I just came in from watching fireflies in my back yard. They glow yellowish-white, and hold your gaze like a flame.

    Best of luck on your big trip, looking forward to hearing all about it when you return.

    Reply
    • TGIQ June 12, 2010 at 10:33 PM

      “Like a flame…” Yes, it’s just like that…it’s a physical pull that I feel when I watch them. I literally have to tear myself away to make myself go back inside.

      Reply
  2. Steve Willson June 12, 2010 at 10:17 PM

    We’ve got a bumper crop of fireflies this year. It’s really been rainy and that tends to increase the numbers. As I sit and watch, I can pick out the display patterns of three different species. It’s the most fantastic light display I’ve ever experienced.

    Reply
    • TGIQ June 12, 2010 at 10:35 PM

      Isn’t it fantastic? I watch for the same thing…it’s incredible how precise, and unique, each species’ signal is. You can track moving individuals in the dark by “tuning” your eye to their particular Morse Code…

      Reply
  3. jason June 14, 2010 at 6:09 AM

    The most spirituality I ever feel comes from nature, C, so I’m right there with you. A summer sunset full of fireflies is one of the greatest memories I have from childhood. Such a simple thing, yet so potent.

    Reply
  4. Ted C. MacRae June 14, 2010 at 10:42 AM

    Nature is my church, and the insects are its angels.

    Reply

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