As youngsters growing up in the mountains of southwestern Virginia, my siblings and I played amongst thousands of lightnin’ bugs as they flittered around in the darkness. Back then it seemed like they were everywhere, transforming our lawn into a magical display of natural fireworks each and every summer evening. But over the years something happened to the little critters. For most of the 90′s and 00′s just a few lonely fireflies could be seen at night. This year is different however.
The last few nights have been lit up by an amazing number of lightnin’ bugs. In fact, I believe there are more of the luminescent little critters than ever out and about this summer. Last night the scene looked a lot like an open-air concert with thousands of flash bulbs going off simultaneously in a packed stadium.
I have always heard that a cold winter will result in fewer insects the following spring and summer, and we had a cold one here indeed. But it sure doesn’t seem to have hurt the lightnin’ bug population. And in my opinion that’s a wonderful thing.
Brings back memories..