TheSamba.com :: View topic - Lightning Bugs

Mon Jul 21, 2008 9:35 am

Rick73Super wrote: Philadelphia has an extensive park system covering hundreds of acres(deer live in the forest). Go there a night and there are thousands of lightning bugs. There are some that live in my garden in front of my house, I haven't seen a decline.

yeah...thats safe. :shock:

Mon Jul 21, 2008 12:27 pm

I used to see them all the time as a kid growing up in Florida but as I got into my twenties there werent too many. I moved to Charlotte and we seem to have a good population here. I remember say something about them to my girlfriend when I first saw them this year.

Mon Jul 21, 2008 2:42 pm

i killed a bunch of 'em the other night while driving home... windshield was glowing like mad.

pretty cool, i think i killed a migrating pack of 'em or something.

Mon Jul 21, 2008 2:52 pm

I've had another bumper crop of them this year. No matter how old I get I always make a point of catching at least one every year - my way of fighting the aging process ;-)

Mon Jul 21, 2008 3:24 pm

90volts wrote: Rick73Super wrote: Philadelphia has an extensive park system covering hundreds of acres(deer live in the forest). Go there a night and there are thousands of lightning bugs. There are some that live in my garden in front of my house, I haven't seen a decline.

yeah...thats safe. :shock:
Pennypack Park is not Central Park, if you've ever been there, you'd know. Besides there is a police barracks where the horses are stabled right next to the park, it's patrolled on horseback. Stop down for a free Wednesday night concert.

Mon Jul 21, 2008 5:17 pm

Now that more people say there is an abundance of them I truly do wonder why I have not seen one for sure this year, as most stated they where in abundance when I was a kid, we put them in a jar, never wrote with them or smashed them on our skin though :shock:

I remember Green ones and occasionally a orange one or two?

Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:19 pm

I just moved to northern Iowa and there are plenty of them here.

Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:25 pm

We should try to harness the energy from the fireflys then we can run our cars on them.

Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:35 pm

ouch

http://neighborhoods.realtor.com/PA/Philadelphia/Pennypack-park/482328/Crime-stats

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=28718

thanks but no. no phillly after dark. try not to even before dark!

Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:39 pm

I've noticed diminished numbers here in VA, I read an article a while ago that all over the country their numbers have been declining and that they've gone extinct in some areas which is really sad. You never really notice how nice they are till they're gone.

Mon Jul 21, 2008 7:39 pm

HI,

It all depends where you live and how the area has changed over the years.
Around the world there are 1000's of different firefly species. In areas that have seen a lot of growth in recent years and the loss of wild areas because of that growth will notice a decrease in population.
They are sensitive to pesticides and to the same methods "we" employ to make our yards mosquito free. A zapper will get any bug drawn to light. A yard fogger will destroy friend and foe alike.
Water pollution has affected their breeding and egg laying system.
Loss of habitat has also affected their ability to reproduce.

WE are the reason they are going away. We insist on large perfect green yards and we've wiped out the swampy areas and we spread God Awful chemicals all over our lawns to make them "healthy" and green.
Its all a lie, it may be green but it is far from healthy. Dig under your beautiful green lawn and see what life you find. You will NOT find a mass of worms and various bugs all living and eating and putting out waste which in turn is a natural fertilizer that improves our soil. You will find dirt, virtually sterile dirt that has nothing alive living in and if you get a drought or forget to water, even your precious green grass cannot live in it for it isn't healthy grass and doesn't have the root system down into the living soil it needs to survive.

Is it true that they are leaving us? It sure is, parts of the world no longer have this glorious insect any longer.

Unfortunately where you live must really be doing something wrong on a wide scale basis to be wiping them out.

There is also a line of thought that our massive wasteful lighting up of the natural dark is having an affect on their ability to locate mates. Too much artificial light is destroying their ability to find each other.
So many houses have lights burning throughout the night lighting up the house and yard. Street lights are everywhere and shopping centers never go dark. All of these areas used to be forest and field and were dark at night.

Enjoy them while you can, they really are going away.
Al Gore has nothing to do with it, we are all working together doing a fine job to wipe them out with how we garden and landscape.

Dave

Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:19 am

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ You have no worries with my yard, all I have is weeds!

I don't see June Bugs as much anymore either, nor Butterflies!

Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:30 am

djkeev wrote: HI,

It all depends where you live and how the area has changed over the years.
Around the world there are 1000's of different firefly species. In areas that have seen a lot of growth in recent years and the loss of wild areas because of that growth will notice a decrease in population.
They are sensitive to pesticides and to the same methods "we" employ to make our yards mosquito free. A zapper will get any bug drawn to light. A yard fogger will destroy friend and foe alike.
Water pollution has affected their breeding and egg laying system.
Loss of habitat has also affected their ability to reproduce.

WE are the reason they are going away. We insist on large perfect green yards and we've wiped out the swampy areas and we spread God Awful chemicals all over our lawns to make them "healthy" and green.
Its all a lie, it may be green but it is far from healthy. Dig under your beautiful green lawn and see what life you find. You will NOT find a mass of worms and various bugs all living and eating and putting out waste which in turn is a natural fertilizer that improves our soil. You will find dirt, virtually sterile dirt that has nothing alive living in and if you get a drought or forget to water, even your precious green grass cannot live in it for it isn't healthy grass and doesn't have the root system down into the living soil it needs to survive.

Is it true that they are leaving us? It sure is, parts of the world no longer have this glorious insect any longer.

Unfortunately where you live must really be doing something wrong on a wide scale basis to be wiping them out.

There is also a line of thought that our massive wasteful lighting up of the natural dark is having an affect on their ability to locate mates. Too much artificial light is destroying their ability to find each other.
So many houses have lights burning throughout the night lighting up the house and yard. Street lights are everywhere and shopping centers never go dark. All of these areas used to be forest and field and were dark at night.

Enjoy them while you can, they really are going away.
Al Gore has nothing to do with it, we are all working together doing a fine job to wipe them out with how we garden and landscape.

Dave

Wow, you need to chill.

Sounds like Dave is leading the Firefly Preservation Act.

Tue Jul 22, 2008 11:36 am

djkeev wrote: HI,

It all depends where you live and how the area has changed over the years.
Around the world there are 1000's of different firefly species. In areas that have seen a lot of growth in recent years and the loss of wild areas because of that growth will notice a decrease in population.
They are sensitive to pesticides and to the same methods "we" employ to make our yards mosquito free. A zapper will get any bug drawn to light. A yard fogger will destroy friend and foe alike.
Water pollution has affected their breeding and egg laying system.
Loss of habitat has also affected their ability to reproduce.

WE are the reason they are going away. We insist on large perfect green yards and we've wiped out the swampy areas and we spread God Awful chemicals all over our lawns to make them "healthy" and green.
Its all a lie, it may be green but it is far from healthy. Dig under your beautiful green lawn and see what life you find. You will NOT find a mass of worms and various bugs all living and eating and putting out waste which in turn is a natural fertilizer that improves our soil. You will find dirt, virtually sterile dirt that has nothing alive living in and if you get a drought or forget to water, even your precious green grass cannot live in it for it isn't healthy grass and doesn't have the root system down into the living soil it needs to survive.

Is it true that they are leaving us? It sure is, parts of the world no longer have this glorious insect any longer.

Unfortunately where you live must really be doing something wrong on a wide scale basis to be wiping them out.

There is also a line of thought that our massive wasteful lighting up of the natural dark is having an affect on their ability to locate mates. Too much artificial light is destroying their ability to find each other.
So many houses have lights burning throughout the night lighting up the house and yard. Street lights are everywhere and shopping centers never go dark. All of these areas used to be forest and field and were dark at night.

Enjoy them while you can, they really are going away.
Al Gore has nothing to do with it, we are all working together doing a fine job to wipe them out with how we garden and landscape.

Dave

Dave, dude, this is only a symptom of a bigger problem, that is inside all of us, we are afraid of the dark. I could go on, but I have learned to chill as they say, keep my thoughts of reality to myself, for they will just be beleeted, for fear of the DARK.

Tue Jul 22, 2008 12:23 pm

I have plenty of fire flys in my backyard. And very few mosquitos. But I do have barn swallows to eat the bugs during the day. They are fun to watch.
I even watched a couple little bitty barn swallows chase off a couple BIG Red tail hawks.
My back yard.

Tue Jul 22, 2008 1:49 pm

Hey, I was just answering someones question "are there fewer fireflies?" is all.
I answered it with what I know. Sorry if my answer makes some uncomfortable.
I do my part, I've left a border of woods around my house both for wildlife and for privacy. My grass is natural but it is green though a healthy quantity of it is green weeds.

Funny thing you mentioned "save the fireflies" in jest but there are major $'s being spent to save the firefly from extinction in some areas of the world. Studies are being done and counts being made as well as importing different species to see if they can adapt in other areas where the native species is struggling.

Dave

Tue Jul 22, 2008 1:54 pm

djkeev wrote: Hey, I was just answering someones question "are there fewer fireflies?" is all.
I answered it with what I know. Sorry if my answer makes some uncomfortable.
I do my part, I've left a border of woods around my house both for wildlife and for privacy. My grass is natural but it is green though a healthy quantity of it is green weeds.

Funny thing you mentioned "save the fireflies" in jest but there are major $'s being spent to save the firefly from extinction in some areas of the world. Studies are being done and counts being made as well as importing different species to see if they can adapt in other areas where the native species is struggling.

Dave

I found your post very informative, but I think it was the making of the movie Curious George that caused the recent drop in firebug populations

Tue Jul 22, 2008 4:36 pm

Spezialist wrote: djkeev wrote: Hey, I was just answering someones question "are there fewer fireflies?" is all.
I answered it with what I know. Sorry if my answer makes some uncomfortable.
I do my part, I've left a border of woods around my house both for wildlife and for privacy. My grass is natural but it is green though a healthy quantity of it is green weeds.

Funny thing you mentioned "save the fireflies" in jest but there are major $'s being spent to save the firefly from extinction in some areas of the world. Studies are being done and counts being made as well as importing different species to see if they can adapt in other areas where the native species is struggling.

Dave

I found your post very informative, but I think it was the making of the movie Curious George that caused the recent drop in firebug populations

Fuck fireflies. What do they do for me?

Tue Jul 22, 2008 5:03 pm

_monkey_ wrote:
Fuck fireflies. What do they do for me?

Man, you must have really missed out of the pleasures of life! Its sad when people are such old sour pusses and wish to spread that "joy" around!
One of the biggest joys as a child is catching them and reveling in their light from the old jar all night long (or so it seemed) and later as an adult taking delight in the joy of one's own children andlater their children as they race around trying to catch the elusive bugs and chasing after flashes of light in the deepening dusk.
Glad you're not my Dad! Probably give coal for Christmas! No wait coal costs too much now, today it would be gravel?
BB

Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:44 pm

baileyboy wrote:
Glad you're not my Dad! Probably give coal for Christmas! No wait coal costs too much now, today it would be gravel?
BB You must give Yellowbeard credit when speaking of Gravel™.