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?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 at 12:01 pm and is filed under Family Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.