Lightning Bugs.

I have seen these things by the hundreds outside when I walk my dog in my neighborhood for the last 2-3 weeks, but the thing is, I have never seen them in the 7 years I have lived here, in Michigan. Any reason why they are all the sudden invading this area? Climate, etc? I think its really cool, they are neat.


Deebo

reply to post by Deebo


Here in the Midwest they have thinned out.
We have also been dealing with heat waves lasting long periods of time.
Maybe they are going North to cooler weather.

Where in MI are you? I've live in Kalamazoo my entire life (32 years) and I've been catching them since I was a kid. In fact, I think there are less now than there was when I was a kid. I remember being a teen and my windshield was always glowing at night from hitting them with my car, haha.

With all the grand and intricate conspiracies and topics on ats this is a refreshing change. I like it. As to why fire flies are suddenly up there I don't know. We get them in mid Missouri all the time,although they have thinned out. I can tell you that we now have quite a few armadillos down here, mostly see them as road kill, but it never use to be warm enough for them to be here. So ya your probably right. I agree fire flies are pretty.

I was tossing around the idea of posting this exact same question. I grew up in Wisconsin and I've lived in the same house for 11 years. I have never in the 11 years seen a lightning bug in my backyard until this year. I don't have many, just a few here and there.

Makes ya wonder.

Originally posted by MJZoo
Where in MI are you? I've live in Kalamazoo my entire life (32 years) and I've been catching them since I was a kid. In fact, I think there are less now than there was when I was a kid. I remember being a teen and my windshield was always glowing at night from hitting them with my car, haha.

I am in Grand Rapids.. (ugg) I wish I was far away from any city. I love the quiet open property life.


Deebo

Originally posted by litterbaux
I was tossing around the idea of posting this exact same question. I grew up in Wisconsin and I've lived in the same house for 11 years. I have never in the 11 years seen a lightning bug in my backyard until this year. I don't have many, just a few here and there.

Makes ya wonder.

Yea its weird.. And when I take my dog out he sometimes wont hurry up and do his business cause he is just looking around wondering what all these glowing things are.


Deebo

I kinda wanna catch one and let it loose in my house, if I knew what to feed it so it wont die lol.. Be kinda cool having a glowing piece of nature shining around the house. Could even be lucky who knows.


Deebo

can you post a pic? I would like t know if I have ever seen a "lightning bug"

reply to post by tonyinawareness


here is a yt vid on them,

www.youtube.com...

i grew up in central california..there used to be lightning bugs there when i was a child but it has been many many years since they have been there. i lived in st louis for a year in 2003 and they where everywhere. i think it is a climate thing as well as man changing habitats and destroying populations with pesticides.

We have been getting more heat than normal this year so yea maybe they are just moving to a diff area.


Deebo

When I was in Lansing at school, there were tons of lightning bugs most summer nights, but few back home in Detroit. Now I'm back home and they're everywhere this year! It's nice, but I'm wondering why the change as well.

Originally posted by tonyinawareness
can you post a pic? I would like t know if I have ever seen a "lightning bug"

No pics but they are just slow flying beetle things that glow yellowish. Bright.


Deebo

Originally posted by tonyinawareness
can you post a pic? I would like t know if I have ever seen a "lightning bug"

Males Flash and Females Pulse

Having been born, raised and still living in the country, I can tell you nature has a way of evening things out. Most recent memories of the past several years involve one summer where I had thousands of dragonflies in my backyard. That was followed next summer by hundreds and hundreds of tree frogs. The year after that was full of yellowjackets and the year after that was the summer of bullfrogs.

My neighbor who has 50 acres of fallow land just growing wild decided to brush hog everything one year. The next summer when the weeds all grew back, up we had a special treat to millions of fireflies lighting up our neighbor's field.

All this just goes to show that nature doesn't measure time the way we do, instead of days and months, she measures time in seasons and cycles. If you have children, take the time to introduce them to the firefly or lightening bug as some call them. There's nothing quite as wonderful and magical as a bug that makes light.

reply to post by Deebo


Once my daughter caught a jar of them, and put them by her bed...but forgot and left the cap off...and that night and the next day...you've got it. Fireflies, all over (: We caught them and let them go. We have gagillions of them here near Ann Arbor, but we are out in the country. It is an amazing site from the beginning of July till the end. Enjoy the beauty. Maybe, you are just now noticing??? just a thought.

Here in SD there seem to be thousands of lightening bugs lately. Had not seen them for some time either. My Girlfriend and I both noticed how they seemed to be all over the place. The conditions seem to be just right for these little guys to propagate here lately.

Frogs also had seemed to be on decline for some time and I am seeing more of those. Some that I had not seen for years. Also found a salamander the other day which I have not seen for 15 yrs or more.

Originally posted by Agarta
reply to post by Deebo

 

Here in the Midwest they have thinned out.
We have also been dealing with heat waves lasting long periods of time.
Maybe they are going North to cooler weather.

edit on 20-7-2011 by Agarta because: (no reason given)

true. blame global warming for that... and the reflection of heat coming back in to our atmosphere

when i was a kid on the east coast, they were everywhere.

then they seem to go away for a while. haven't seen too many since those times.


here is a time lapse in HD from japan.


www.youtube.com...