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Enchanting Fireflies Light Up the Night

5/31/2015

1 Comment

 

Interesting Facts About Fireflies

Lightning Bugs in Mason Jar
Fireflies in Mason Jar by Benjamin Lehman via Flickr
I've always found fireflies captivating. As a kid, I was sure they were magical, and deep down, I guess I still feel that way. There is something mystical about these tiny creatures as they flit out of the woods into grassy areas at night. 


As a child, catching lightning bugs was the highlight of the summer. Maybe it was the privilege of staying up until after dark, or the fact that the adults sat around talking in subdued voices that set the stage, but it was a magical time. If we were lucky, and we often were, our mother would let us take jar with several lightning bugs to bed with us for the night. We would happily drift off to sleep to the rhythmic blinking that created a soft glow in the night. Of course, when one escaped through the holes punched in the lid, as they always did, we got the uncommon delight of watching as the fireflies flitted about the room. I imagined then, as I do today, that they were actually fairies that the grownups were too old and blind to see.



  • While some fireflies produce larvae that glows, called a glow worm, the fireflies in Maine do not. Technically, Maine fireflies are called a Big Dipper Fireflies (Photinis pyralis).
  • Fireflies use their blinking lights to attract a mate, but they also communicate other messages, like claiming a territory.
  • The adult firefly is short-lived and dies shortly after mating. It does not eat.
  • The firefly larvae eat worms, snails and slugs - making them very garden friendly.
  • In Maine, fireflies are called Lightning Bugs.
  • Female lightning bugs generally stay in one place, such as nestled in shrubs or in the grass, while the male flies from place to place in an attempt to attract a female.

If you've never caught lightning bugs in a jar, now is the time. I saw the first lightning bugs of the season last night.
1 Comment
peter freeman
12/25/2021 12:28:23 pm

I have a summer home in the village of Bayside in the town of Northport
when I was growing up in the summer, we had a lot of lightning bug.
But now we don't see them anymore.
What can I do to bring them back?
thank you for your help in this matter
Peter Freeman
Saco Maine

Reply



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    For more nature photography, check out my photography site.
Copyright © 2014 Nannette Richford



Photo used under Creative Commons from MyArtfulLife
  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • About Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • How to Grow a Pomato Plant
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
        • Turnips vs Rutabagas
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
  • Garden Pests
    • How to Control Japanese Beetles
    • How to Control Blister Beetles
    • How to Get Rid of Colorado Potato Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables