The past few days I have been enjoying the return of lightning bugs at my place. For the past week their numbers have ramped up and I may now be at peak firefly. Once its truly dark, near astronomical darkness, the show is at its best in my spot. Hard to tell if I have reached peak yet as I won’t truly know for a another week. But for now I’m just enjoying their nightly show.
This years return is nice treat compared to last years dismal showing. Last year my area had record rainfall for May through June and we were really wet. Parts of my yard were constantly soggy. This year I’m a bit dry and been hotter than usual. I think there is a correlation but that’s just speculating. Also of note this year is their nightly display has been closer to new moon so my area is darker.
Fireflies are one of the most fascinating nigh time displays in nature. That a little bug can fly around lighting itself up is really special. Gather several dozen or more of them together and they create a symphony of light.