creekland Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 I got curious from the firefly thread. Do you have fireflies where you live? We have them in the thousands here right now. We absolutely love watching them at night - it's like giant Christmas trees lit up all over + many flying in the fields. There were some in upstate NY where I grew up, but nothing like what we have here in south central PA. (Rural both places.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaillardia Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 I haven't seen them on our property or neighborhood, but when we walked at the park we saw "a few" flittering under the big oak trees. By a few, I mean total maybe 30. I really miss watching them, seeing them in the trees, on the ground, all around our front yard in MD. We are in north central TX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisamarie Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 Last week a friend of mine from CA went to PA and commented on facebook how her DD got to see fireflies for the first time. That's the first time I even thought about the fact that not everyone has fireflies. I just assumed everyone got to enjoy the thrill of catching fireflies and putting them in a jar and taking them into a dark room. We went firefly hunting for the first time this year on Thursday and caught us a few. The kids were excited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sputterduck Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 I have never seen one in real life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 Loved growing up with them in Delaware as a child. In Utah, however, there are no fireflies. My kids saw them for the first time when we visited my parents during the summer. I do feel that children who spend summers without fireflies to catch are being deprived of one of the rites of childhood. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 (edited) There are no fireflies here. It actually makes me sad because the stores always sell toys geared around them. Firefly lanterns and such. I feel bad for the kid who gets one as a gift and then has nothing to do with it. :001_huh: Edited June 26, 2011 by Tap, tap, tap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 I grew up in Minnesota and loved watching them there. Down the hill from our house was a wet area and they were all over there during the summer. None here in Arizona! I did discover that Home Depot sells lights that look like fireflies. I miss them so much I'm considering buying some! It won't be the same though. ETA: We didn't have them in Idaho or Oregon either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 We are in middle Georgia and don't have them. I miss them so much because we had them growing up in TN. My sister has them just 70 miles north of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 We have them in abundance. Aidan loves to chase them. Until we moved here, I don't think I'd seen them since I was a kid in Montgomery, AL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 We had them where I grew up in NY, and plenty here too. I find that they go in cycles. Some years, like last year, you can catch a dozen in 2 minutes. Most years they aren't as plentiful. I don't remember them from when I lived in TN, but I wasn't in a suburban or rural area there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 None up here in the Colorado mountains. I do remember lightning bugs from growing up on the Wisconsin farm. We saw them last year visiting my relatives in Nebraska too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tadbhoward Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 We are right outside of Atlanta and have an abundance of them. Warning - Gross: When we were kids, my brothers and I would smoosh them over us so that we glowed in the dark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 In my dreams!! As a kid I lived in Virginia for a few years and catching fireflies was a fun part of summer. I wish my kids could experience it! We live in WA state and there are zero fireflies here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 We are right outside of Atlanta and have an abundance of them. Warning - Gross: When we were kids, my brothers and I would smoosh them over us so that we glowed in the dark. How close and which direction are you from Atlanta? We are south, 45 minutes or so, and have none. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmwife Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 None up here in the Colorado mountains. I do remember lightning bugs from growing up on the Wisconsin farm. We saw them last year visiting my relatives in Nebraska too. Yep, here on our Wisconsin farm we have them. Chasing fireflies at night is a common summertime ritual. I love watching my children catch them! They are facsinating bugs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I'm miffed about the levels having gone down over the years. When I was a kid-heck, even young adult-there were *many* more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaJeanne Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I have never even seen one. Maybe someday I will visit somewhere that has them at just the right time of year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Yes! By the thousands here in SE Connecticut. I love them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nature Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I've just been noticing them out my bedroom these last few night. In MN, we also call them "lightning bugs." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tadbhoward Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 How close and which direction are you from Atlanta? We are south, 45 minutes or so, and have none. 20 miles East from downtown. Honestly I haven't paid attention in the last few weeks since the heat ramped up but last month they were everywhere. My girls believe they are fairies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I remember fireflies from when I was a kid, but I think the spray they use for mosquitos kills the fireflies, too. I'm glad that my kids have seen them when we visit friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 We are in Maryland and have tons of them here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 We used to have them, but now since we moved here I dont see any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 It always amazes me, but I occasionally see them here in my inner city backyard. Lovely. How close and which direction are you from Atlanta? We are south, 45 minutes or so, and have none. I grew up north of Atlanta and then lived for awhile in suburban Atlanta and we had scads of them. There was one house we rented for about a year where I can remember all of us kids going out to catch them in plastic cups - you could just swoop your cup through the air and get them. We were all having a contest and I seem to remember that we often had something like 20 of them in one cup. Crazy, right? But at my grandmother's in Cordele, down in Crisp county, there are none. I wonder if it's to do with what my father hilariously refers to as the "chigger line." There's some invisible line straight through Georgia and north of that line there are chiggers, but south of that line there are not. And no fireflies either maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Atl Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I've seen a major decrease in their numbers, in the Atlanta area. We used to have tons of them in the late 70's. Now we see a few here and there. :sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly1730 Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 We are in south central Pa also and yes, lots of them! I love it. I fall asleep at night looking out of my bedroom window at them lighting up all through the trees that line the stream in front of our house:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisOR Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I've always lived on the west coast, and have never seen a firefly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Oh my gosh - we have oodles! Love to see them. I didn't know everyone didn't have them :confused:. Off to find the original thread.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mabelen Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 We moved here two years ago and they are sorely missed! We don't miss gnats though or the "lovely" heat and humidity combo in the summer months. I guess it's a trade off for being able to sleep with the windows open at night and be able to be outdoors throughout the summer even if you are not right by the pool or the beach! P.S. I had never seen fireflies until we moved to the Mid Atlantic region, I had not seen any growing up in Spain or living in the UK either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Tons. But they're lightnin' bugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraciebytheBay Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 We live in Western New York in a semi-rural suburb. Last night over the field, it looked like twinkly Christmas lights! They were amazing. There are way more this year than last year. Wonder why?:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 We're in FL now and have none. I saw tons of them growing up in Texas but when we were in Illinois last week I realized my dds had never seen or spent a night catching them. They had a blast! They had also never seen those little black bugs that curl up in a ball if you touch them (I think they're sow bugs). I always called them roly-poly bugs and they had fun with those, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimnc Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Never realized that there are places that don't have them. I just kind of took them for granted. They do seem to be more prevalent in the wooded areas. Or maybe they just show up better against the darkness of the trees. What I really love here is hearing the tree frogs and crickets at night. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I've nearly always lived on the wrong side of the US for fireflies, so I've hardly ever seen then. I remember the first time I saw them, when we visited the East Coast when I was 7. I don't think there are any in this part of Asia (I certainly haven't seen any). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasharowan Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 We've seen them occasionally here in FL but nothing like what we saw in IL when we visit family there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 We just caught some in jars tonight. DS4 tried to get them to flash at him by flashing his flashlight at them. Didn't work. We opened the jars and left them out front so the bugs can go home. I love lightning bugs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnL Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 We dont' have them in Washington state. Dh and I lived a few months in Charlotte, NC, before we had children. One evening we were outside just after dark and were surprised to see blinking lights in the yard. Upon investigation, we both saw fireflies for the first time! They were so awesome. I wish I could share that with my kids at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reet3 Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I live in North Texas, NE of Dallas, in a heavily wooded suburb. We see them under trees all over our neighborhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 We were in Richmond (VA) this time last year and absolutely loved watching them! There are only a few here. We rarely see them - maybe once per year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 We have a lot in KY but not thousands. My kids usually go to bed before they come out and I've been meaning to let them stay up and catch them sometime. We just moved from south of Atlanta and I never saw them there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWOB Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 They are everywhere here! I grew up in south Louisiana and never remember seeing them. Here in Nebraska they light up the night. My kids love catching them, observing them, them letting them go. My big dumb Lab tries to eat them.:glare::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I voted other because we had tons of them here as kids, but now I might see one a year. :( It really makes me sad, because I loved chasing "lightning bugs" as kids. (we don't call them fireflies :D) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Wyoming here, and I haven't seen a lightning bug here. I'm sure my kids would love some,though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 There are places without lightning bugs????? I am so used to them from being in IL and OH most of my life. Last year we had almost none. This year we have a lot, but I wouldn't say thousands. Idk. My kids go chase them, their estimates might be more accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 My parents both saw them for the first time when they visited us when we lived in Little Rock. My husband was amazed that they had never seen them. They had even vacationed outside of the country a few times by then, but nowhere with fireflies until Little Rock! We have them here now but not where we were last year, the kids are excited to chase fireflies again. A few nights ago they caught 3 and put them in our mesh butterfly cage for a bit before releasing them. My husband says the fireflies here are slower and dumber than the ones in Little Rock, he never did catch any there, he tried to catch one for the kids to see. :lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 no, they don't exist in Australia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 26, 2011 Author Share Posted June 26, 2011 Interesting read! I'm very curious about outside North America. Our German exchange student told us there weren't any in Germany (she had never seen them before here and extrapolated). Are there any in Europe at all? Hubby told us last night he read an article in Sail magazine about a couple seeing them in Southeast Asia. Where else around the world are they? (Pure curiosity! I suppose later I can google it to find out, but where's the fun in that? ;)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Being that I have lived in many places, I will give reports where they are and aren't. yes NOrthern VA Ohio Illinois no California New Mexico southern FL Belgium My girls were so happy to see them when we moved here- they had never been around them except maybe on a vacation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyJudyJudy Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 We are in middle Georgia and don't have them. I miss them so much because we had them growing up in TN. My sister has them just 70 miles north of us. Wow. Things have changed. I grew up in S. Central GA (the "heart of GA"), and we had tons of them. We called them lightning bugs. I now live in NW GA, and we have them here, though not in the huge quantities that we had growing up. I wonder if the decrease has something to do with pesticides. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaTanya Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Wow. Things have changed. I grew up in S. Central GA (the "heart of GA"), and we had tons of them. We called them lightning bugs. I now live in NW GA, and we have them here, though not in the huge quantities that we had growing up. I wonder if the decrease has something to do with pesticides. :( I was thinking the same thing here in Alabama. I passed the mosquito truck when I was out a couple evenings ago. Fireflies? I saw a lot as a child. I can't remember seeing any in the last few years. Now mosquitoes? We have plenty of those. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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