Beautiful Fireflies

Call them fireflies, lightning bugs, lightning beetles...these light emitting insects have fascinated people for many years.

For some unknown reason, these insects have been a bit scarce around here in the past few years.  But not, apparently, this year.

Sometime after 9am, my spouse went outside into our front yard.  Lightning was flashing in the eastern sky and he wanted to see if a thunderstorm was coming. At this point the sun had set and it was getting dark.  He called for me to come outside and look.

Outside, in a flashing display, were fireflies.  A lot of them.  Dancing just above the grass.   I wonder if this was a mating dance.  They kept flying, kept flashing.  Entranced, we watched for a few minutes.

A few hours later, it started to rain.  And rain.  Some areas to the east flooded.  While so much of the country dries up, we have enough rain to share-if only we could.

I understand fireflies love moisture.  I also understand they hibernate over the winter as larve (glowworms).  Maybe they knew something none of us knew-that this is going to be a very wet summer.

Flashing on and off, while the lightning in the east flickered.

I wish so much I could have filmed it.