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woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,568
15,213
SE PA USA
I’m enjoying a bowl of My Own Blend Square Flake, (hat tip Les Young) in a Stanwell Royal Danish 996, as our local Lightning Bug contingent puts on one of the most spectacular displays I’ve ever seen.
A bit ironic, as there are no lightning bugs in Denmark.

 
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woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,568
15,213
SE PA USA
Brian, I was thinking, that as a former photojournalist, I must capture this moment. Then i thought about getting a tripod, getting a camera, playing around with f stops and ISO and exposure times...
Nah...I’ll just enjoy it, as-is.

 

seldom

Lifer
Mar 11, 2018
1,035
940
Fireflies/lightening bugs (Lampyridae) are incredible. You can tell the different species by their blink patterns and you'll notice that some occupy specific habitat (i.e. forest edge, open field etc). There is even a predatory species that mimics the blink pattern of the female of another species. The male comes in to mate and gets eaten.
I love the Pacific Northwest of America but I did miss the lightening bugs there. There are actually lightening bugs in that region but they are diurnal and don't produce any light.

 

npod

Lifer
Jun 11, 2017
2,942
1,024
I personally would have enjoyed seeing you chase fireflies with a tripod and camera set to manual exposure :puffpipe:

 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,317
11,068
Maryland
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We're hoping they hang in here in Maryland until mid July. The 3 year old granddaughter is visiting then and being from Louisiana, they don't have them there. We hope to see her face when she sees them flying around the yard. A glass jar with holes in the lid will be waiting.

 
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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I've enjoyed the glimmerings of them hereabouts. No profusion but definite visitations. Good point about choosing between photographing a moment and living it. Not that it's not living to do photography, but it displaces what else you are experiencing in some cases. When I travel, I will take a photo or two, or many, and then I put the camera down/aside/under my jacket.

 

3rdguy

Lifer
Aug 29, 2017
3,472
7,293
Iowa
We get a lot of them, fun to watch at night.
Fish flies are our local rarity and quite disgusting.

 

elessar

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 24, 2019
667
1,398
I recently had a similar experience smoking some Black Frigate. I stopped out to my best friends camper which is on his farm. We were sitting by the fire when I noticed a distant hay field was shimmering. When I walked to the edge of the field there were thousands of lightning bugs flying around the field. Never have I seen so many. I tried to take a video of it but it doesn't do them justice. Must be a good year for them.

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
I grew up near the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University in Jamaica Plains Mass. It has been there for as long as I can remember. It is just great place to hang and chill and look at all kinds of cool flora and fauna.
There is one little pond there that at night produced the most incredible light show. We were always tripping which made it even more interesting. We would go a couple of times per week over the summer months. It was a great place to just walk, play Frisbee and commune with nature. If anyone is in the area I highly recommend checking it out. This all took place in the middle 70's to 80-83.

 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,568
15,213
SE PA USA
I just got back in with the dogs maybe a hour ago, the sun is still up, and the lightning bugs are already starting their show. Tonight may be even better than last night! We've been here 22 years and the lightning bugs have always been plentiful, but never like this.

 
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mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast

Guest
They're out thick here this year too.

 

pappymac

Lifer
Feb 26, 2015
3,270
4,261
I miss seeing lightning bugs down here in my little corner of SE Louisiana. All we get are gnats, mosquitos and those damn lovebugs that love to commit suicide on the front of my truck.

 

gerryp

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 8, 2018
704
2,368
56
Arabi, LA
Don't forget the junebugs that crash into my forehead while I'm outside trying to smoke. And the brain eating amoebas. And the termites. And the plague of locusts, and plague of frogs, etc.
There's a bald eagle nest down the street though...that's cool.

 
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