I am in Louisville and when we were walking around we say a house with a yard sign saying this was lightning bug mating season so we should help them out by keeping lights off outside.
OT: summertime fireflies
- Thread starter Conewago
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41 messages, and this thread has remained remarkably on track. We're getting soft.
Sorry, who thinks Spencers carier would have been better if he came to PSU? I kid
His lighting bug carrier? Of course it would have been. Everything is better at Happy Valley. He could have run around Bald Eagle state park, Black Moshannon park, Mt Nittany trails, Whipple Dam/Rothrock state forest just to name a few spots he could have collected tons of fireflies for his carrier.
If Spencer were a lightning bug, would his glow belly ever go dark, or does he exhibit infinite illumination?
“Back in the ‘30’s, during the Great Depression, I used to take all 33 grandkids out in the bean field alongside our house and have them gather hundreds of the little buggers and put them in a mason jar. Then we’d put the jar on a corner shelf I built in the outhouse, and we’d take turns going in the dark. Ah, those were the good ol’ days.”
Last night was the first I have seen fireflies here in Erie. I had a couple dozen in the back yard. Hoping they are just slow coming ou this year.
It was a shot in the dark, but I have friend who has worked there 20 years and it is apparently a Penn State engineering Alumni meeting (as it should be).
For anyone really into this topic, it looks like they are trying to crowdsource firefly population monitoring:
www.massaudubon.org
(Link is to a Massachusetts site, but I think they want data from everywhere...)
Firefly Watch
Firefly Watch combines an annual summer evening ritual with scientific research. Join a network of volunteers by observing your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies found in New England and beyond.
Thanks, I will give this a goFor anyone really into this topic, it looks like they are trying to crowdsource firefly population monitoring:
(Link is to a Massachusetts site, but I think they want data from everywhere...)Firefly Watch
Firefly Watch combines an annual summer evening ritual with scientific research. Join a network of volunteers by observing your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies found in New England and beyond.
I've noticed a great increase in lightning bugs here in S. Wmspt from last summer. Probably over 100 in the back yard last night. Our backyard is probably ½ acre mowed.
The numbers are much higher for late June here in State College too. They also seem to flash more often. Must be the heat wave we had last week, but we are already beyond what was the peak last year.
Our May last year was a record low for rain, only ⅓" for the month at my home. This year 5.5" for May. I think that could have hindered their numbers, but only guessing.
I've noticed a bunch at my house (west of State College) this year too.
Also, to get back off topic.
Lighning bugs do struggle to get off their backs...
Love me some fire flys or lightning bugs as we called them as kids. They don't exist here on the West Coast. I hate to admit as kids growing up in Pittsburgh we used to hit them with tennis rackets and watch them tumble out of sight with their lanterns permanently lit. :-(
I just got back from Puerto Vallarta this weekend. 4 couples rented a multi million dollar 4 master bedroom Air BnB with an infinity pool, chef, bartender and maid, up in the jungle overlooking the ocean. Pretty amazing.
Back to the topic at hand, a highlight was seeing a single lightning bug on two consecutive nights. The light was Blueish green though. Awesome.
I just got back from Puerto Vallarta this weekend. 4 couples rented a multi million dollar 4 master bedroom Air BnB with an infinity pool, chef, bartender and maid, up in the jungle overlooking the ocean. Pretty amazing.
Back to the topic at hand, a highlight was seeing a single lightning bug on two consecutive nights. The light was Blueish green though. Awesome.
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Some might say God’s country is further west, where trails in the Rockies rise past treeline, mountain goats, cougars, and grizzly bear dens to get you much closer to heaven’s gate. Granted, there’s something quietly spectacular about midwestern corn and wheat fields rolling and filling a horizon with endless waves of green and gold.
Definitely seeing a lot in State College right now, yeah.
Not State College, but Centre County. While sitting on porch over the weekend the front yard area had a light show going on. It was pretty cool.
They actually had a menu to select from. Definitely a strong Mexican theme, steak fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, more traditional breakfasts, the last night we had fillet and Lobster though. In theory he would have cooked anything we wanted. We paid for the groceries and made a list, while they went and bought everything.
There are dozens and dozens of high end Airbnb villas up in the hills but here is were we stayed
Villa in Puerto Vallarta · ★5.0 · 4 bedrooms · 5 beds · 6 baths
Casa Sueños Del Mar, Luxury Villa, Fully Staffed
www.airbnb.com
Tons of fireflies here in wpa. Most I've seen in years. Westmoreland County
Last night was awesome here in NEPA. My husky was jumping and chasing them all over the yard.
Lightning bug legend. Born in the small steel mill town of Braddock, PA, my set of 8-to-10-year-old friends knew an older teen who swore to this: Said he once filled a mason jar (yes, holes in lid) with lightning bugs, set it in the Monongahela River at the town’s edge, then drove to New Orleans, waited for the jar to show up, brought it back home, and released the bugs in the field he caught them in. Called ‘em his ‘Tom Sawyer’ crew, said if one was in danger of being caught again, all would attack.
Won’t say how many of us believed him, or for how long . . . or who still does.
Won’t say how many of us believed him, or for how long . . . or who still does.
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You do know that race is over! Or are you staking out your spot for next year?
Lol, you pulled out a post from a year ago. Though I did drive through KY last weekend! Drove a 26 foot UHaul with a car carrier behind it for 1300 miles, then unloaded it. Fun times……
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