Quote of the Day: Mark Twain
The difference between the almost right word
and the right word is really a large matter.
It’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.
– Mark Twain in a letter to George Bainton, 10/15/1888
Kind of like snapping a photo at just the right time! I love it when the lightning bugs are out and about. Earlier this week I started to see them in the front yard, too bad they’re spraying for mosquitos in our development next week so that will kill a good number of them.
Do you have lightning bugs in your area?
Filed under Quote | Comments (25)
No, but I grew up with them in the south. It’s a little disappointing that I don’t see them here.
to Sheryl at Providence Acres Farm's comment
What an awesome photo! We do have them in in Western, MA but certainly not as many as we used to. It’s very special to us when we do see them. I’ll share this with my husband….GREAT JOB!!!
to Eliza J's comment
Yes! (Texas) I love them too and this is a great photo. I always feel that when I begin to hear the Cicadas and see the Lightening Bugs, that summer is officially here.
to Jaye Whitney's comment
I havent seen any yet this year.. but we do see them around here mid summer.. Seems like its been too chilly for the most part, at least in my mind. ;)
to KimH's comment
I live lightening bugs and we get them in masses here in Arkansas. When I see them, that’s when I know summer is really here.
to Songbirdtiff's comment
They were keeping me company as I was working last night. Very nice and peaceful.
to Mary W's comment
Oh, yes, we have lightning bugs! I sit on the front porch at night and watch their blinking all over the front yard. But, I’ve never seen a picture that caught that blink as well as yours does.
to Diane's comment
Yes! We have lots of them here in southeastern PA! I’ve noticed many more this year than previous years. We’ve had some in our house already. I’m very excited about them this year because 28 years ago we hosted a French student who had never seen a firefly. She was amazed by them! This summer we will be hosting her 19 year old daughter. It will be so cool to show her the same things we showed her mother here in the states.
Great photo!
to Cherise's comment
That is an awesome pic.
I grew up with them as a child, and later visiting my grandparents in TN & KY. But from age 8 on we lived in Montana, and they don’t have them there, nor here where i live in California now. I do miss them.
Sad they will be spraying and killing them.
to Kathryn's comment
Such a beautiful photo, I love the quote you used with it too. We don’t have any fireflies here in the west…not sure that is the appropriate name but that is what we call them. However, I lived in southern PA for three years and we had lots of them. They were a thrill for us and especially for my young children. Your photo brings back fun memories of the time I spent living in PA.
to igardendaily's comment
Wow! I have never seen one in real life but imagined how amazing they would be when I was a kid… it provided endless material for daydreaming.
Too bad about the spraying. =(
to SixBalloons's comment
I’ve never heard of Lightening Bugs but they look like what we’d called Glow Worms. I’ve never had the delight of seeing a real one.
to nic@nipitinthebud's comment
We never had lightning bugs at my parents house, but I have them at my own house. Every night when I head out to the chicken coop to shut the chickens in, I get really excited about the lightning bugs.
to Daedre Craig's comment
No, sadly. One of the very few things I don’t like about living in Sonoma County, California. That, and the fact that we don’t get Cardinals here either.
to itchbay's comment
Yes, we have them here, but there seems to be quite a few less than usual. Very sad, really, as there is no better way to spend a warm summer’s eve than a lightening bug catching contest with the kids (we let them go, of course!) By the way, here we have always pronounced peony as “pee-a-nee”.
to Mistresseve's comment
…Yes, I love them! Just last week early one morning I saw one in the bathroom, kinda funny to be sitting on the toilet in the dark and see one flashing its light…lol Anyway, I scooped him up and took him outside and my husband met me at the back door wonderin’ what I was doing outside and I had to tell him that I was saving a lightning bug…which was followed by an eye roll from him…*giggle* :o)
…Love the photos – perfect!
…Enjoy your Sunday & blessings too… :o)
to tj's comment
No lightning bugs here. I’ve never seen one.
Thanks for the excellent photos. My react was:
“Way cool!”
to MAYBELLINE's comment
No lightning bugs west of the Rockies. My one and only time seeing lightning bugs was about 5 years ago in Tulsa, at a backyard barbeque. I thought it was kids a couple yards over playing with flashlights or glow in the dark stuff. I finally asked some other guests if the flashes were the bugs. They were quite stunned to hear we don’t have lightning bugs out there.
to trashmaster46's comment
I am in shock that they allow spraying for mosquitoes in your development. Do the residents want this to happen? With the state regulations and the pesticide awareness of the population, I don’t think a spray program could ever get approved in Maine.
to Jennifer Fisk's comment
I am too – it’s quite annoying – especially since we live in a lake community. They haven’t sprayed for the past couple years because of lack of funds. It’s interesting because they spray for mosquitos and then they wonder why we have fish kills in the lake where all the fish show up dead – HMMMM. For the most part, people here in rural Ohio still believe that chemicals/pesticides are good. This is one reason we’re saving to buy some acreage out in the country so we can shield ourselves and our gardens from the spraying of chemicals by others in our close proximity. Or perhaps we can just move to Maine someday.
to Susy's comment
It sounds very unfortunate, I live in Connecticut near long island sound. Maybe 5 years ago, New york decided to do mosquito spraying, soon thereafter, long island sound was no longer a prime lobster fishing ground. There was a die off of the population, the closer to new york, the lower the populations. When will the government wake up and stop trying to force things they think are appropriate to use on the poplulation and the enviroment?
to lawrence kolada's comment
I saw the first one about a week or so ago. Living in an urban area that has no funding for anything can sometimes be a good deal – this would be one of those very rare moments.
to Michele's comment
I have never seen a lightening bug in person. I have always wanted to! There is something mysterious about them and how they light up. The best we get up here is … wait a minute. We’ve got nothing comparable in Washington!
to Lindsey@NW Backyard Veggies's comment
Yes! We have them here in NC. Once my son and I saw a whole tree full of lightning bugs blinking at various times. It gave the effect of a huge Christmas tree.
Google videos of Smoky Mountain Synchronous Fireflies. Now that is a sight I would love to see!
to bonnie's comment
Nice photo of the firefly! …love it!
to Yan's comment