I Miss Fireflies
Posted on July 8th, 2008 – 12:01 PMBy Kay Krhin
I have fond memories of those backyard twilight summertime evenings during my childhood in northern Illinois. At dusk I used to lay in the grass on the hill and stare up at the stars. I thought that the cricket serenade the was the sound of the stars twinkling. Made perfect sense to me.
But my fondest memory was that the night sky was punctuated by fireflies. Lazy little day-glo yellow lights randomly blinking in the air. The neighborhood kids and I would run around playing catch and release them until our parents beckoned us in. Some would end up in a Skippy jar with holes punched in the lid and a handful of grass. It truly was the super-coolest nightlight to have in your bedroom. I also remember they made your hands stink, there was always a good handwashing after catching them.
I also have fond memories of sitting on the porch during college (dearly beloved Iowa City). I swear there were clouds of fireflies there. So incredibly cool to kick back and watch them. The perfect serene backdrop to deep conversation and a cold brew.
Now we’re heading back to the grandparents in Illinois (probably there as you read this) and I’m looking forward to watching Ben marvel at the fireflies. They just aren’t around up here. Mosquitos yes, lightning bugs, no. I’ve lived here almost half my life and recall seeing one here and there, but not like the summers “down south”. Has it always been this way?
Here is what I found from the MN DNR site on them here. Says they’re around - but where? Our kids are missing out on some serious summertime joy!
Any armchair entomolgists out there? Where can one find fireflies in Minnesota? Why such a sparse population in the area? Mosquito control? Plants? Predators? What is up?
16 Responses to "I Miss Fireflies"
We have fireflies in our suburbany-backyard near Mankato, complete with a grassy hill. The kiddos love watching them emerge from the woods behind the house. Which means we have mosquitoes too. The good with the bad, I suppose, but a good reminder of the simple joys of childhood. Kay — may your fireflies be vibrant and just as you remember…
My parents house in Brooklyn park has fireflies in the backyard. They have a hill and a creek running through. We still can sit on the porch and watch the fireflies flicker.
Me too! I was just thinking about that the other night. We’ve added a hammock to our backyard and while we were out there, a friend thought he saw a firefly but it turned out to be a moth flying high above the candlelight. Growing up in Virginia, we spent hours catching fireflies…I don’t think I remember ever seeing them around here.
We live in St. Paul (upper town) and we have fire flies in the back yard. My husband and I were just talking about them and how when I was little I thought that they were faries and only turned to bugs when you caught them, it seemed very cleaver of them at the time and boy did I get mad when my brothers caught them.
I miss fireflies too. DH lived in Virginia when he was little and I spent some time in GA. Ah, summer evenings chasing fireflies. There wasn’t anything better.
This past weekend all the kids got to say up late to catch fireflies at the cabin (Aitkin, MN). They had a great time, and there was more than enough for them to catch. We put them in containers for them to watch/enjoy.
“Fireflies” is a great song by Faith Hill that I love to sing to my toddler because it always reminds me of those wonderful days of childhood.
I’ve seen plenty of fireflies in MN, specifically up on the iron range where I grew up and I’ve also seen them in the northeast metro where I live.
I had forgotten about the fireflies of my childhood in the Twin Cities ’til I moved to Iowa last year. There are many fireflies here but I haven’t seen any in Minneapolis in many years.
I remember the feeling of chasing the fireflies through the scratchy hot grass at my father’s house in northeast Missouri. We are making the annual trek there in early August with our three kids. We don’t have any fireflies in our backyard in St. Paul, so I can’t wait for my girls to see them in Missouri. For some reason this post made me also remember fireworks from long hot summer nights in Missouri as a kid - remember punks (used to light fireworks)? And snakes, which left a burn mark on the driveway?
I grew up in Apple Valley and catching fireflies was a summer tradition. I’ve now seen them in my backyard in the northern suburbs, and I can’t wait to take my daughter out to catch them.
my kids catch them at the cabin (north of Grand Rapids) and at the grandparents house in Watkins. But we have some here in Elk River to.
I think to really find them you need to head more up north. We have a cabin on Thunder Lake (3 hours north of the twin cities) and they were EVERYWHERE last weekend. Very fun to watch them
Back from Illinois. But unfortunately Ben remained firefly free. One night due to a rainout, the other due an early bedtime. Running around all day with a herd of cousins exhausted him. There will be more summers.
Elizabeth, your mention of a firefly song remined me of an old favorite. Obscure but beautiful from the early 90’s. American Music Club check out “Firefly” track #10 http://www.last.fm/music/American+Music+Club/United%2BKingdom%2B%252B%2BCalifornia
We have a few fireflies in our back yard in Cottage Grove. I caught my first firefly at my In-laws in Fergus Falls, MN when I was in college. They have lots of them up there. Never had them while growing up in ND, so they are always fun to see for me!
We have fireflies in our backyard in Shoreview. Our child (due in August) will certainly get some future entertainment out of watching and chasing them.
I think fireflies like to be near water and love humidity.
