Right this moment, there’s a firefly buzzing around my head. They’ve been quite scarce the last couple years, and I was worried their population might be permanently declining in this area. This year, though, they’re everywhere again, every evening at dusk. And in my office, it seems.
It reminded me of the time a few years ago, when a firefly got into my house and fell in love with the green, blinking power indicator LED on my laptop. It would wait until I’d gone to bed, and then come out to tentatively circle the computer’s power brink.
Blink blink?
Blink.Blink.Blink.
A little closer every time. This went on for three nights in a row. I tried to catch the poor little guy and release him outside, where he night find a more appropriate love interest. But I never could. He’d go dark and hide, wait until I was back asleep, and then resume courting the power brick.
I’m surprised you haven’t seen them. My part of the city is the same as last year: absolutely full of them. The walk home is always beautiful.
There’s places like in my yard and on Boulevard where you can look down into the massive walls of kudzu lining the ravine, which span down into the darkness for a city block and wind out of view in either direction, and in the murkiness (never total darkness in the city), there are so many fireflies blinking in an out in the distance that there’s no moment where several are not lit up at the same time.
Standing and looking from Boulevard, it looks like you’re standing on a bridge looking over an arm of the Milky Way made of stars that blink in and out of existence faster than you can look at them all.e
Comment by Emily S. — June 18, 2010 @ 6:23 am
Oh my. We’ll have to go on a walk that way. I think fireflies especially love tall grass and kudzu, especially when there’s some water nearby. Last summer was so dry, I think, that they retreated away from my neighborhood.
Comment by Ethan — June 18, 2010 @ 9:52 am
So pretty! I’m proud to say that this post was probably inspired by me flicking one off my hand before realizing that it was a sweet little firefly and not a less pretty insect.
Comment by Jac — June 18, 2010 @ 1:16 pm
On my walks home, I always see them starting when I round the corner from Lenoir. Yes, you guys need to take a stroll and then come sip something alcoholic on my porch one time before I go.
Comment by Emily S. — June 18, 2010 @ 7:37 pm
Yes, yes we do. Did you see that blackberry smash cocktail? I want a pitcher full of that.
Comment by Ethan — June 18, 2010 @ 11:20 pm