Heard a whipporwill this week and thought of this thread. The lightnin' bugs have been plentiful lately.

Yes, the fireflies are just starting to come out, here is NY. Boy, they are bright!

Gosh, lot's of fireflies in my Massachussetts backyard tonight....but what I crave is phospheresence???that thing in the ocean like fireflies that light up in the moonlight!!! Oh those were good times.....I need to find out when that happens this year....swimming with fireflies is what it's like!!!! Now I need to read this long post and enjoy....fireflies are gone until tomorrow!!!

Aw, starsville, I really wish that I could hear one again. It has been so long.

They remind me of when I would spend my summers with my nanny and poppy. My greatgrandparents.

We would stay up late and listen to them and star gaze and watch fireflies. In the early morning we would get up and walk across the dewey grass to pick mulberries for our cereal. Poppy always had special k. I hated it (but LOVE mulberries) but I ate it anyway because that it was he ate.

We made jams and jellies, canned eggplant and mushrooms (he picked wild ones) and we made fresh cheese from straight out of the tank milk.

Having a mulberry tree, and listening to a whipporwill would just be so awesome.

I miss him.

I live in the suburbs of Phila., PA. We were sitting in the back yard the other night watching what looked like a fireworks display with all the "lightening bugs". They were all over the place and very high into the trees. It was so beautiful and so peaceful.

Any state where people avoid spraying chemicals on lawns. Fireflies "nest" and breed there and the pesticides in lawn chemicals kill them. That's why you see fewer and fewer of them.

Lots of fireflies in foothills and mtns. of NC, never thought about it, just thought they were everywhere. My grandsons love to catch and release them, just like I did in younger years.

I thought light pollution was a cause for a reduction in fireflies/lightning bugs? With all the light poles and outdoor lights, it's not as dark at night as it used to be.

I'm sure pesticides are a big factor in the reduction, but I thought light pollution was another factor.

As a child I would run around and catch (and release) lightning bugs. Always fun. I thought everyone one had lightning bugs. Well, I learned something new today.

Light pollution gets in the way of seeing stars, but would not affect lightning bugs. They show up better against dark objects (treeline, etc.)

I bet pesticides are the culprit. None are used where I'm seeing as many as I saw in my youth.

bebalm mentioned homemade peach ice cream in another thread. Talk about childhood memories. HAND CRANKED home made ice cream and chasing lightning bugs while we kids waited for the ice cream to get ready!

We are having our campfire tonight, because I have to work all weekend and on the 4th too. So we will be doing our cook out over a wood fire while we watch the fireflies, and gaze up at the stars, and make our ice cream!

I just dropped off the stuff at her house (again). (she burnt the first batch! Walked away from the stove.)

We have all different toppings laid out to put on it. I am going out to pick my raspberries and black raspberries!

I might share :) or trade if anyone else has something that looks good.

MMMMMMM!

It was so cute. My niece and nephew (ages 6 and 8) are visiting Philadelphia from Florida. They were so excited tonight to sit and watch their first lightening bugs. They don't get them down there!

IOWA- Our kids have always loved them! As a child, growing up in Iowa, I thought they were the coolest.......

Most amazing firefly memory--aside from all the childhood summer evenings chasing the poor things:

At Wolf Trap in Vienna VA (outside DC) listening to the National Symphony play an all-Debussy program, with La Mer and Claire de Lune -- distant thunderheads with wonderful lightshow of internal lightning, full moon directly overhead, and the bushes surrounding the lawn just densely loaded with fireflies twinkling all around us.

The lightening bugs are alive and well in IL right now. I just heard my other favorite outdoor insect noise a few nights ago....locusts (or maybe they're called cicadas?). I love their song at night. Give me that and the sound of a fan & I'm in summer-heaven.

My backyard (northern Virginia, Fauquier County) is a mecca for fireflys-the show is spectacular, better than 4th of July fireworks--

Didn't want to read through 94 responses, cam, so if this is a repeat response, forgive me.

We were AMAZED at the number of fireflys we experienced over the July 4th weekend in Hershey, PA just a few short years ago.

Camcraw here, original poster:

We are back from a vacation in Missouri and YES we saw the fireflies! At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I had no idea that they flashed - I was expecting a steady white (surprise, they were a florecent green) light that buzzed around. My daughter loved to gently catch them in a plastic cup and release them. We are sure that these little creatures are what inspired fairies like Tinkerbell. They are simply magical! No one should go through this life without seeing them!

Hi Camcraw! Thanks for returning to post. I'm thrilled your daughter had the chance to see and play with fireflies! You're right - Tinkerbell was probably inspired by them. I hope you've enjoyed reading the responses on this thread. You've revived a lot of good (and simple) memories for Fodorites. Thank you.

just got back from a walk with the dogs and the fireflies were out lighting up the dusk sky. It reminded me of this old thread so I'm topping. Hope it doesn't compete with GoT's night - and NOTHING can match degas' night!

A bit too early for fireflies here in NY, but I hope they come soon. :)