RE: Fire Flies/Lightning Bugs

[Joe Buskirk]

 Most everyone on the east coast is familiar with fire flies, used to catch these many years ago, myself, when I was young.  Typically, by this time of the year, the night is filled with flashing yellow lights but so far this year, I can only remember seeing  a few.  What are your experiences to date?

[mike4947]

 Joe Buskirk
Well being farther north we usually see them later than you do. But, for about the last ten years they ve been few and far between. Back in the 50 s & 60 s every night the lawn would flicker with the glow worms and the air was bright with twinkling from the fire flies.

[kathybrj]

 Joe Buskirk
We ve got a ton of them and we re north of Albany, NY. Blaise and I were out in the hot tub the other night and they were all over the place.

[CampinCrazy]

 Joe Buskirk
We just saw a ton of them in a wooded park here in Fort Worth.  We were Geo Cashing with the kids and they thought the fire flys were as cool as the " treasure"  they found!

[angelsmom10]

 Joe Buskirk
I can remember seeing them all the time growing up.
 
 Seems lately you see fewer and fewer around here.
 
 We tend to make a big deal when we do see one.
 

[Catonsville Camper]

 Joe Buskirk
Hey Joe,
 
 Living in Catonsville, MD just south of you a bit, we generally see them this time of year all over the woods behind our house.  I ve seen couple so far this year, but I think that with all the rain we re having it s keeping them in the ground or drowning them.  Sure wish it would quit raining for awhile!

[jpreiser]

 Joe Buskirk
WE usually have them by now also, i think with all this rain we have been having they havent had time to hatch, the mosquitos  have been out in full force!! Also I think with alot of the pestacides and fertilizer people put on their lawns cuts down on the number of them..

[Turn Key]

 Joe Buskirk
Like " CampinCrazy" , we live in the North Central Texas area and I have seen many more fire flies this year then usual.  Like having them around and hope the increase is a trend.

[don]

 Joe Buskirk
I don t seem to see them as often as when I was young either.  Maybe it is just where we live?
 I found this link about them if you want to see them.
 http://iris.biosci.ohio-state.edu/projects/FFiles/frfact.html
 

[Starcraft Dad]

 Joe Buskirk
We normally have them in mid June, but with a cooler spring this year, the mating season for them is put back a bit. They tend to satrt off slow and then around the end of June go full force.  This year I haven t seen any yet.

[Tentcamp]

 Joe Buskirk
We have seen less as the years go by.  We ve been surprised at how much light they give off when they get trapped between your tent and the fly of the tent.

[slowpez]

 Joe Buskirk
We went to Tennesse a couple of weeks ago and there were tons of lightening bugs in the campground.  The interesting thing was they didn t blink on and off.  Stayed lit all the time.  Last week we camped here in the foothills of SC and there were also tons of the little critters - the kind that blinked on and off.  
 I remember as a kid, we would catch them, remove the blinker and stick it on our ring finger.  Our own sparkling diamond.  Do you think that s what happened to their numbers?

[jpreiser]

 Joe Buskirk
thats funny that you mention the ring thing, I remember doing that but my kids think it s gross...

[rednekrubbrduck]

 Joe Buskirk
I know they re still flourishing in our back yard...saw tons again last night.  Explained to my DS how they work also...said they had lil spark plugs on their backside....and when ever they, um, tooted...the spark plugs ignited the gas to make a flame.  Think he bought it? [8D]

[jaycocamprs]

 Joe Buskirk
We live in North GA and still see bunches of them.  But, when I was a kid we used to see lots of what we called June bugs.  If you tied a piece of thread to one leg and swung them around they buzzed.  Haven t seen one of them in years!
 
 T