Fireflies or Lightening Bugs
Fireflies, lightening bugs--they are one and the same. They are also sometimes called glowworms. They are actually a member of the beetle family.
The season for them will be starting soon. My grand kids from Idaho usually come here for a visit close to July 4th and they are fascinated by fireflies. There are none in Idaho. My research showed that there are not many fireflies, if any, west of Kansas. The reason for this phenomena is unknown. We have hundreds of them dotting the sky at night here in Indiana.
When I was a kid we used to catch lightening bugs and put them in a jar with holes punched in the lid. Of course they always died soon after. Then my kids did the same thing when they were little.
The reason for the lighting of the bug is not known for certain. Some think it is to catch mates, others think it is for other purposes. I think it is to fascinate young kids! I grew up seeing them all the time so I am not that fascinated by them now but my grand children from Idaho are really thrilled to see them--at least they were when they were young. They are older now so some of the fascination has worn off. The grand kids are also fascinated by lightening and thunder storms because they have very few in Idaho--we have numerous ones here in Indiana.
Actually, I have not seen any lightening bugs yet this season but maybe if I went out after dark and looked I might see some. But I am sure they will be showing up soon, as they always do every year.
posted by kyra lafain @ 6/08/2010 12:30:00 PM
1 Comments:
It seems we don't have as many in Texas as we used to. Maybe pesticides have reduced the populations.
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