We went for a walk this evening around 8pm, and it was dark before we got home. This is the time of year for lightning bugs (fireflies) and we could see them flickering in the bushes as we got near to home. One of them was on the edge of the road in the grass and I was lucky enough to pick it up. It was quite an experience holding it and watching it flash (like a bright green LED) in my hand.
Of course I couldn’t take a photo but it looked just like this:
Back when we lived at Pine Grove Lane in Marcy, we once had an enormous swarm of these in our back yard. We went outside and stood amidst them – hundreds and hundreds of them. It was mesmerizing because they fly slowly and flicker quickly only once every 2 or 3 seconds. It was like tiny pinpoints of light surrounding us from ground level all the way to well above our heads. A memory we will not soon forget.
As we got closer to the house today we saw a bat. The bats around here are very small (about mouse sized) and when they fly you can clearly here their wings flapping. He was very active, probably catching bugs (maybe even lightning bugs). We’ve seen a couple around here, but I can’t really say what they look like since I’ve never seen one roosting or during the day.
Here’s a quick shot of the house I just took:
< Can you see the moon?
I, too, have been seeing a few lightning bugs the past few nights. They seem as magical to me now as they did when I was a kid. I’d have loved to see the swarm of them in Marcy.