I hereby declare firefly season open as of tonight. They may have been here a few days ago, I don’t know for certain. But as of tonight —  they have arrived. Whether or not it was due to the fact that I mowed the grass today or not, they seemed to be drawn to it tonight. Rick saw the first one. We were sitting out by the pool having a late night glass of wine, tiki torches lit. We went down into the yard to get a closer look.

As dusk descended around me I sat in the newly mown grass, knees drawn up to my chest, my arms wrapped tightly around them. Fireflies flickered on and off all around me. I sat there in perfect silence just watching. Mesmerized by their flashing lights. Winking so close to my body I could reach out and catch them. But I didn’t. I just sat and watched. A peaceful kind of joy dropped like a protective cloak about me as if nothing in this world could touch me outside of its custody. I was immune from everything happening in the world just then. Just me and the fireflies. They certainly didn’t care, why should I?

I find fireflies magical beings. I am so glad they have arrived for their brief stay here in my New Jersey back yard.

This is what I felt like, the one and only time I’ve seen them.  No fireflies here in CA but I did see them one magical night near Lake Michigan.  They were as beautiful as I had imagined.

Fireflys are something that I didn’t realize were not a universal experience until I overheard a coworker try to describe them to someone who had never seen them.  We enjoy the absence of many pesky insects, here in the desert, but some of the friendly ones are missed!  Fireflys and ladybugs are always the essence of summer, for me!

Jan & Christina, there is a line in Kansas but I can’t remember exactly where it lies, and anywhere west of that line you will not find fireflies. Not quite sure why, but there you have it. Kind of strange, really. Beyond here no fireflies allowed.

I miss the fireflies….or lightening bugs, as they were sometimes called.  I remember one night in Kentucky we stopped on an old bridge over a crick (that’s what they were called!) in Kentucky.  There had to have been hundreds.  Like live Christmas lights.  Took my breath away.

I saw fireflies for the first time in NYC last year - amazing!  and all the more wonderful as they look so nondescript when they’re not alight

Wow.  Fireflies arrive early in Northern NJ.  We don’t really see them til the end of June, and peak season is the first three weeks of July!