Thank you for sharing this experience. I grew up with fireflies in Missouri, but have spent most of my life in Oregon, where I live now. No fireflies for us, sadly.
In upstate N.Y., when I was little, we used to run and catch fireflies in a bottle. It was quite a challenge following a firefly's regular flashes and trying to anticipate where he'd be the next time he'd light up. Once we had enough in the bottle, their individual intermittent beacons combined to make a little lantern.
I grew up in Northern Ohio (Findlay) and still live nearby. Lots of memories of catching fireflies in jars growing up. I see fewer in my backyard now than before, but maybe I'm not taking the time to actually walk out in the dark and look for them. Several years ago I was driving back from meeting a friend and was going home using back country roads at night. I came across a field that was filled with fireflies! It felt magical, I had never seen that many together before. And one last memory, just from last year. We had a large family reunion, with family arriving from all over the country. This year's was held in Arkansas and one night there were lots of fireflies. My nephew's girlfriend grew up in Washington State and had never seen a firefly. It brought back that childhood wonder watching her run around the yard, looking at and trying to catch them.
This is lovely. I grew up in Ohio, too, and I adore fireflies. We have a lot of them in our Maryland neighborhood that backs onto forest. I think we are also getting more every year since we moved in and ended the previous owner’s habit of treating the lawn.
Thank you for sharing this experience. I grew up with fireflies in Missouri, but have spent most of my life in Oregon, where I live now. No fireflies for us, sadly.
In upstate N.Y., when I was little, we used to run and catch fireflies in a bottle. It was quite a challenge following a firefly's regular flashes and trying to anticipate where he'd be the next time he'd light up. Once we had enough in the bottle, their individual intermittent beacons combined to make a little lantern.
I read your lovely posts while having my morning coffee in the backyard listening for birds with Merlin. Can’t think of a better way to spend time.
I grew up in Northern Ohio (Findlay) and still live nearby. Lots of memories of catching fireflies in jars growing up. I see fewer in my backyard now than before, but maybe I'm not taking the time to actually walk out in the dark and look for them. Several years ago I was driving back from meeting a friend and was going home using back country roads at night. I came across a field that was filled with fireflies! It felt magical, I had never seen that many together before. And one last memory, just from last year. We had a large family reunion, with family arriving from all over the country. This year's was held in Arkansas and one night there were lots of fireflies. My nephew's girlfriend grew up in Washington State and had never seen a firefly. It brought back that childhood wonder watching her run around the yard, looking at and trying to catch them.
This is lovely. I grew up in Ohio, too, and I adore fireflies. We have a lot of them in our Maryland neighborhood that backs onto forest. I think we are also getting more every year since we moved in and ended the previous owner’s habit of treating the lawn.