Several years ago I saw fireflies in Sorrento. Does anyone know if there are fireflies in Tuscany in May?

Oh fireflies, how I miss them. When I was a child they were everywhere here...no more

Do I need an insect screen name to post to this thread?

hahaha! Good point Greg. No, you are welcome to add anything. Cigale, they are so magical. We don't have them in California and I am hoping that they will be in Tuscany next month.

I have never seen them in Italy. When I was a young girl the only time I saw them was when we stayed at ClearLake (N CA)..we kids would catch them in a jar. My dad made us release them.

for years I've been trying to find a short Japaneese story
I read. The young girl put fireflies on the back of her obi and her lover chased her through a garden following the light,

Here's an interesting tidbit: "lucciola" is the Italian word for firefly. It's also street slang for streetwalker/prostitute.

It is a microclimate thing. We never had a firefly in our garden, but friends of us who live just 5 km away have plenty of them.

The Japanese story would not work in Europe. If you catch a European firefly (which is easy enough) it will stop glowing until you release it.

We have them every summer in the hills above Portofino.

Yes we have "lucciole" over here in Tuscany but usually a bit later than may, at the beginning of the summer.... but you nevr know..... !

Grasshopper is right for the other meaning of prostitutes.

Grazie, Fabio! I'll just hope for some early lucciole!

Prego.... and I'll cross fingers for you !

sauterelles and luccioles

I've seen them in Umbria in early/mid May.

I'll never forget my first experience with fireflies when living in NYC. It was the 4th of July and I was sitting in central park under a big tree waiting for friends to join me for the concert. It was over 100 degrees and early evening. I closed my eyes for a few minutes and when I opened them I was surrounded by fireflies- dozens of them lighting up and floating around me as the sun set. Love them!

I've seen them in Tuscany in mid June.We arrived late one Sunday evening to stay in an agriturismo, and we were bushed. The fattoria was right on the edge of a village and we walked to the local cafe for supper. We walked back in pitch dark, much restored, wrapped in the warmth of the atmosphere accompanied by dancing fireflies, and we sat outside the door of the flat under a cherry tree with ripe cherries on, listening to a nightingale a few yards away. Truly magical

I also now live in California but grew up with them on the East Coast.

In Italy, I have seen them:
in Tuscany, near Greve, in very late May/early June, in the vineyard where we were staying, and:

in Umbria, near Bevagna, in late May, in the olive grove where we were staying. They came out the very night we got there (about the 21st of May).

Magical.

In case anyoone is interested, we saw one lucciole the other night. It has been unseasonably hot so maybe we'll see more. Seems to me, where there is one there has to be at least one other!

I haven't seen fireflies, or "lightning bugs," as we call then, in Italy, but I hope they are there.

However, if you can't get to Italy, you might be interested in this:

http://outdoorsblogger.com/smokymtnh...es-of-elkmont/

We have been to the Smoky Park to see the synchronous fireflies for the last three years, and it's quite a show.

Byrd