2026, animals, home, Nature, Uncategorized

Fireflies

27 Comments

About a month ago we had quite a bit of rain and the humidity stayed quite high into the evening. I was delighted to see small lights flit here and there all over the yard, and realized they were fireflies. We also saw them in the woods near our rental a couple of weeks ago near La Crosse. Grandson was entranced. There aren’t many fireflies in Brookings, SD.

It seems fireflies like heat and humidity, and we never had them in ND or in Winnipeg since it is so much drier there. There were tons of them the year we lived in Southern Indiana. We were pretty close to the Kentucky border. It was really hot and humid. The fireflies are my favorite memories from Indiana. Husband did his predoctoral internship there. We moved to Indiana after several years in Winnipeg. It was a pretty awful place after living in Canada. At that time Indiana was considered the most politically corrupt US state. It was very socially conservative. I was glad when our year there was up.

I can’t imagine there weren’t fireflies here in Luverne when I was growing up, but I really have no memory of them. Neither does Boommate. It was great to see them the other night. They seem magical.

Got fireflies? What are the best and worst places you have lived?

27 thoughts on “Fireflies”

  1. No fireflies remain at my apartment building in downtown Franklin, Ohio.
    We had hundreds but then the empty lot next door was claimed as a storage area for a major street improvement project. The ground was scraped down, piled up and filled with gravel. The project was completed and the piled up soil was spread out. We finally have some clover with bees. No fireflies.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  2. Fireflies have been in decline because of loss of habitat, pesticide use (gotta have those green lawns!), and light pollution. We are lucky to still have some in our Winona neighborhood – if we sit outside at night we see a few.
    I too remember a lot of them the year we were in Indiana, Renee.

    I downloaded a great photo of them that was on bing.com a couple of weeks ago, for my current desktop background. If anyone would like it, I could forward in an email…

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  3. I remember fireflies as I grew up in upstate NY. Don’t recall seeing them in the Twin Cities. I do recall they seemed magical to me even after I learned about ATP which plays a role in the energy associated with firefly light.

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

  4. Rise and Flicker, Baboons,

    We have a few fireflies in the back of our lot. However, our next door neighbor loves his chemicals, which has probably reduced them in our yard, although my pollinator garden is thriving. The butterflies are especially abundant. The real action comes in the next 8 weeks with the Joe Pye weed in bloom now.

    FYI, the MN Landscape Arboretum has several areas where you can go at night to watch fireflies. They have a special project that is meant to increase the populations. They also have a bee project that you can observe at times.

    Worst place I have lived? Yesterday the worst place was here with choking smoke, but I rarely feel that way about where I live now. When I lived in N. MN we lived in a trailer house. The camp itself was heavenly and a wonderful experience, but I did not appreciate the trailer. My hometown was incredibly conservative. That was confusing to me during the Viet Nam war which I was trying make sense of. The reasoning in the community around me gave rationale for that war that did not make sense, but I just thought I did not understand. Now I know that area is not where I want to live, and those arguments were flawed. I have like and disliked things about all the places I have lived, but overall, each place has been interesting and a place that moved me forward in life.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  5. There are a few fireflies here. The lawn is very well groomed and I’m sure they’re using herbicides and fertilizers on it, but there are still some fireflies in the evening. They flash and dance all around us when I take Maggie out at 10 p.m. She notices them too.

    I don’t know if there is a ‘best’ place that I’ve lived. I really liked the house I had in Faribault (described recently). It was just the right size, and I fixed it up nicely. If I’d stayed, I would have made even more improvements.

    I also really loved living with my former partner, Morgan, outside of Montgomery. His house was a modified A-frame in the woods. It was filled with his art and creations. I remember coming home from work during the hot, dry summer of 1988, and going straight to the garden hose and pouring ice cold water all over myself. My first large garden was there too. He built a sauna and we used it when it was cooler outside. I’d prepare supper, then we’d go sauna, then shower, then eat.

    The stone house in Faribault was another fun and interesting place to live.

    Hands down, the worst place was Waterville. I won’t get into that, but I am so grateful to not live there anymore.

    Wish me luck. I’m heading north to Two Harbors for the week. The Air Quality Index is 500 there right now. I’m bringing an N95 respirator mask. I wish I had one for Maggie. We’ll stay inside until it improves, but there is no air conditioning. The lake is the air conditioner, and I won’t be able to open the windows. If it’s too awful, and doesn’t clear up, I’ll have to come home.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

      1. I’m really on the fence about going. The AQI is still 493 in Two Harbors, even after the rain. I have an appointment this afternoon in Duluth, so I’m motivated to go. It’s supposed to improve tonight and return tomorrow. I guess I’ll just have to see how it goes. I can always come home.

        Liked by 3 people

        Reply

      1. This method would not be viable for Piper, he’d have that sucker off in seconds, but maybe the addition of an elastic strap of some kind would help. 😀

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply

  6. Lots of fireflies every summer in our backyard, but it’s been too hot lately to sit on the porch and enjoy them at night.

    The best place I’ve lived is here in Owatonna. Love our house, the community, the neighborhood, the size of the town, easy access to the Twin Cities.

    The worst place was the room I rented in Dinkytown my last two years of college. What a dump. Barely maintained, no AC (I had a room on the third floor.), community refrigerator and bathroom that took guts just to use. Not sure I remember anyone ever cleaning the bathroom. I tried to clean the refrigerator/freezer once and was disgusted by what was left in there from renters of years past! The freezer was so loaded with frost that there was barely room for a few frozen juice cans. Fortunately, my living quarters went on a nice upward slope from then on.

    Chris in Owatonna

    **BSP** Riverwalk Market Fair in downtown Northfield tomorrow from 9 to 1. Bridge Square. Yes, it’ll be hot, but the farmers’ market booths will have near peak amounts of fresh produce. Lots of homemade food vendors, arts, crafts, and one pretty darn good writer (ME) selling his books. 🙂

    If you haven’t heard about it, my latest, a five-author, joint venture novel, is out and selling well. “The Kill Code Collective” is a medical thriller featuring signature characters from each author’s previous books. Reviews so far have exceeded our wildest expectations.

    If you buy a copy, it’ll probably be the most unique book you’ve ever read. Why? Because only 13 other five-author books have been written that I’m aware of. We’re the only Minnesota authors who’ve written a 5-author book. And we may be the only authors who have used previous main characters in our joint venture. **END BSP**

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  7. Fire flies are magical and fun to watch. However, we did have them in Hills, not far from Luverne. I used to collect them in a jar to watch them up close. I did let them go after my observation. There are a couple of children’s books about fire flies which triggered my kids imagination and now, too, my grandchildren. More fond memories.
    Just had to comment. Paul Skattum

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  8. I learned about fireflies – or as I called them, lightning bugs – from a monthly Danish children’s magazine based on Disney characters. I’m not sure I believed they really existed, but was delighted when I saw my first fireflies in Cheyenne.

    We have lots of fireflies this year. I discovered a few nights ago, that the patch of Mexican feather grass husband has planted in the boulevard right in front of our house apparently provides a safe harbor for them. When it gets dark I can sit in my recliner and look out the front window and enjoy the flickering light show they put on. Simple free and silent pleasure.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  9. Oh, and places lived: The best for house and grounds would have to be the Robbinsdale house with the huge back yard… the “little cottage that time forgot.”

    Worst? maybe the “railroad flat” just off Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco – had to travel through living room, bedroom, and kitchen to get to the bathroom… Had one roommate, 2nd floor… I honestly don’t know whether or not there was A/C – it was cool enough in the summers that it wasn’t an issue in 1970, anyway.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  10. Grand Oak Opry, a fantastic backyard music venue in St. Paul is a pretty reliable spot to encounter fireflies. If you’ve never been there, you should give it a shot. The ambiance is such that I’m pretty sure I’d enjoy a 5th grade band practice of kids who weren’t mine, if it was performed there. There’s a huge old oak in the back yard with a crystal chandelier hanging in it. They usually have 5 or 6 shows each summer and the suggested donation of $15-20, all goes to the performers. Their next show is tomorrow night (7/18) at 7:30 (gate at 6:30). There is some seating available, but it’s best to bring your own chair or blanket, and you may bring any food and beverages you want, but no pets. A 5-piece MN-based pop band, Quietchild is playing tomorrow. I’m going to Reider Homestead in Orono tomorrow night, so will miss this one, but I highly recommend it.

    CHANGED: SoulFlower, Sat. July 26, 2025 at 7:30

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  12. I will never forget pulling into the parking lot of our apartment in Columbus, IN after the long drive from Winnipeg, and encountering a man wearing a western style gun holster with two pistols in it. After the strict gun laws in Canada, that was quite a shock

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  13. We’ve seen a few fireflies this summer. Thanks to neighbors who like to leave their outdoor light on all night, there’s often too much light pollution to see them, but it’s always exciting when we do.

    We had a lot of fireflies at our old house. The back yard bordered an open lot between houses, and it made an ideal habitat for them. When my daughter was very little (about two), one got into the house and went under her toddler bed, where it flickered on and off. She thought it was Tinker Bell.

    Years later, we used to drive through Iowa to take same daughter to the University of Iowa for summer journalism camp. Driving home after dark, we’d see swarms of thousands of fireflies lighting up the side of the road. It’s one of my favorite memories.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  14. im getting old and calloused. ive seen fireflies this year now that you mentioned it after sundown on my outdoor summer guitar jams wednesday nights. we had a new person sign up this week who checked in to see if we were really going to hsve it in 95 degree weather. i told her yes . i was just outside and found it fine. i had to cheeck and it was indeed 95 but with sun behind the trees it was fine . the week before it had been warm but i held it in the garage with rain in the forecast. i caught some flak for my judgement call but when we broke up snd discovered it was pouring out i was admonished.
    worst spot was portland and lake in the 70’s hippy house that had some problems. my roommates left me with motorcycle sublets and when i got out the neighborhood gangs lit the garage on fire and shortly after torched the house as well. beautiful old parkway home with great woodwork and scary neighbors. like san fransisco where the residents of the era determine if the surroundings are ok.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  15. I see fireflies fairly often in the summer. Not in huge numbers, but they’re here.

    Once I saw something iridescent in the street during the day. Stopped to look at it, thinking it might be someone’s earring or something. Turned out it was a dead firefly lying on its back. They have a spot on the underside of the abdomen that sort of glows, even in the day, even when it’s a dead firefly.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  16. We have lots of fireflies. They really seem to like the soybeans as well as corn. I always thought it was the residual heat coming out of the fields.

    And these fields have been fertilized and sprayed.
    There are just as many out there as there are around the house and we don’t do anything with the lawn.
    But we sure enjoy seeing them.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment