Friday, July 3, 2009
I'd been waiting for days. Weeks, actually. And then one evening in late June -- finally! -- they arrived. Peering from a second-story porch into my backyard, I saw nothing at first. But as my eyes became accustomed to the dark, I spotted one tiny luminous dot, then another, then another, until the yard was filled with silent, darting bursts of light.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Capturing fireflies is a summertime ritual. Just make sure to do it the right way.
Friday, July 3, 2009
When you're faced with a field filled with tiny flashing lights, it's easy to lump them all together into a single category: fireflies. But it's not as simple as that.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Hunting for fireflies can be a catch-as-catch-can pastime, requiring no more than a pair of cupped hands. But for scientists, it's a little more complicated.
Friday, July 3, 2009
It's got a plot based on one of life's universal themes: the desire to be part of a family. And it's got a title character with a "certain something" about him -- he literally glows. It's no wonder that "The Very Lonely Firefly" is one of Eric Carle's most popular books.
Friday, July 3, 2009
It's pretty simple to scoop a firefly into a mason jar to get a close-up look.
Friday, July 3, 2009
* The Firefly Watch program of Boston's Museum of Science offers an enormous amount of information, including interactive maps pinpointing recent firefly sightings by people who have signed on as observers. Read about the insects -- and become a Firefly Watcher yourself, if you like -- at this link: https://www.mos.org/fireflywatch/
