Fireflies in our Garden

Fireflies - Public Domain Image by Wikipedia
By Anna
@LadyDuck (471118)
Switzerland
May 22, 2016 12:00pm CST
Yesterday the day has been warm and beautiful. Before going to sleep, I have wandered some minutes in the garden to enjoy the smell of the robinia and of the honeysuckle. Looking at the pond, I thought to see blinking dim lights. At first, I though that a garden light was reflecting in the pond, but looking closer, I realized the lights were moving. The blinking lights were fireflies. I love these little insects. I have read that they like wet not contaminated areas, so I suppose that our air is pretty clean. Have you ever seen the fireflies? The photo is from Wikipedia File:GluehwuermchenImWald.jpg
69 people like this
74 responses
• United States
22 May 16
Oh my Anna! This photo made my day..it is absolutely so beautiful and soothing. Thank you so much for sharing with us. Is it your photo yes? I love the fireflies..dont see many around here anymore.
8 people like this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
22 May 16
No, the photo is from Wikipedia, I had not my camera with me yesterday evening, I will try to take a photo tonight. I love those little bugs.
3 people like this
• United States
22 May 16
@LadyDuck Oh thought it was your garden Anna..It would be lovely if you could get a photo.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
22 May 16
@TiarasOceanView I will try to take a photo.
1 person likes this
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
22 May 16
Yes but not for many years.
5 people like this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
22 May 16
I have never seen one all the years I lived in France, but I see them every year in our garden.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
23 May 16
@boiboing believe that the glow worms do not fly. I do not know why, but I dislike everything without "legs", worms, snakes, heels and alike.
1 person likes this
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
22 May 16
@LadyDuck I might be wrong. I could be confusing glow worms with fire flies.
2 people like this
@Juliaacv (50954)
• Canada
22 May 16
You got a pretty good shot of the fireflies. We get them here and I love to sit outside while they are out and about.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
22 May 16
I specified that the photo is from Wikipedia, I was unable to take a decent photo.
1 person likes this
• United States
22 May 16
They have been out for about a month here.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
22 May 16
I believe they arrived about one week ago, but the weather was too bad. Here is colder than in your place.
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
23 May 16
@AbbyGreenhill They usually come in June, but this year is a bit warmer than usual, even if we had some cold days last week.
1 person likes this
• United States
22 May 16
@LadyDuck Yes it is warmer here , back in New Jersey they didn't come out until about August.
1 person likes this
@gudheart (12659)
22 May 16
I have never seen them before. I only ever seen them in movies :(
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
22 May 16
They are cute, the darker the night the more you can see them.
1 person likes this
@gudheart (12659)
22 May 16
@LadyDuck I am usually very scared of flies, but I think I would be in awe if I saw these.
1 person likes this
• United States
22 May 16
@gudheart fire flies aren't flies. Nothing to be scared of.
2 people like this
@Ronrybs (19117)
• London, England
22 May 16
When I was younger and lived in the US, I used to love chasing fireflies. Don't think I've ever seen any in the UK
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
23 May 16
@Ronrybs There are many flying around, tonight it was cloudy and I was able to see them even better.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
22 May 16
I see them every late spring here in our garden. They like wet areas and we have a pond and a stream nearby.
2 people like this
@Ronrybs (19117)
• London, England
22 May 16
@LadyDuck So its one massive firefly playground!
2 people like this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
22 May 16
hi not here in Garden Grove but ba ck in S outh Dakota as a kid I used to catc h them in a jar just to see them glow then let them loose again. love them they are so amazing had nt thought about them in ages. natures so wonderful
2 people like this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
22 May 16
@LadyDuck my grandpa tld me dont ever just capture soeting and eep it thats not being kind to nature he was a wise old man for not having but a brad school teaching
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
22 May 16
@Hatley Also my grandmother always told me to free them, because we have to respect any kind of living creature.
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
22 May 16
We did the same when i was a kid, we captured them and them let them go.
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
23 May 16
Wow, I have not seen fireflies before. I sure wish to have a chance to see them, especially just outside my house! You are lucky to live in such a wonderful place.
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
23 May 16
@LadyDuck haha, not just the wild animals, and insects. You love your home too! I love the countryside of Switzerland, though it gets very cold at night.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
23 May 16
@scheng1 LOL, yes I love my home too. In winter it can be very cold at night, but we live in the south of Switzerland is not as cold as other parts of the country.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
23 May 16
This is a quiet area, at a few kilometers from the village, the wild animals and the insects like this place.
1 person likes this
@valmnz (17097)
• New Zealand
22 May 16
That is a beautiful photo. I remember seeing them as a child, but haven't seen them since then.
2 people like this
@valmnz (17097)
• New Zealand
23 May 16
@LadyDuck you are very lucky
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
23 May 16
I am glad that they come to our garden, as it seems that they only come to non polluted areas, so I suppose we are in a "clean" spot here.
1 person likes this
@marlina (154131)
• Canada
22 May 16
I used to see them when I was growing up as my parents lived in a smaller town. Do not see them here.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
22 May 16
It seems that they are very few now because they cannot live in polluted areas.
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
22 May 16
I've never actually seen them - they look magical. I don't know if we get them in England.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
22 May 16
I know that I never saw them in France, but I used to see them in summer in Italy, when I went vacationing in my grandmother house.
1 person likes this
@Inlemay (17713)
• South Africa
22 May 16
I was so hoping the photo was from your magical garden in the heart of Europe. mmmm how I missed that.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
22 May 16
It's hard to take a photo of those little bugs with a normal small digital camera. I should ask hubby to use his camera.
1 person likes this
@Inlemay (17713)
• South Africa
23 May 16
@LadyDuck you would need shutter speed - but imagine if you caught them on camera - how wonderful that would be. Dont worry i know what you mean by how beautiful they are
1 person likes this
@miniam (9154)
• Bern, Switzerland
22 May 16
It`s rare to see fireflies here and im indoors most of the time.Thanks so much for sharing.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
23 May 16
I do not believe that in the center of the cities it is possible to see them. We have many here and also a lot of wild animals, hedgehogs, foxes, frogs, badgers and also martens. Those last are cute, but they cause a lot of damages to the cars.
1 person likes this
@miniam (9154)
• Bern, Switzerland
23 May 16
@LadyDuck true,we don't have many wilds here
1 person likes this
@magallon (19279)
• Philippines
23 May 16
During my elementary days there was a small tree in our front yard which is full of fireflies every night. Too many of them that the tree is lit up brightly. But when that small tree was cut, all of them also disappeared. haven't seen one for a long time already.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
23 May 16
What a shame, may be that a nest was destroyed and they decided to move to a safer area.
1 person likes this
@magallon (19279)
• Philippines
24 May 16
@LadyDuck .... yeah, maybe. we seldom see fireflies now in the province.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (72042)
• United States
14 Dec 16
What a stunning photo! I used to love catching fireflies when I was young.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (72042)
• United States
15 Dec 16
@LadyDuck I trapped them overnight to experiment how long they could live in a covered jar and they lived through the night and I realeased them. I was quite young at the time.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
14 Dec 16
I love to see them in summer, I remember when we put them in a jar, only a few minutes, I have always opened the jar and set them free. They are lovely.
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
15 Dec 16
@shaggin If the jar is big enough to have enough oxygen they can leave many hours in the jar.
@sofssu (23662)
27 Jun 16
That is a great picture.. I haven't seen fire flies in years.
1 person likes this
@sofssu (23662)
30 Jun 16
@LadyDuck The last I saw one was in my tweens I think.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
30 Jun 16
@sofssu I remember that when I spent some weeks vacations in the house of my grandmother we saw the fireflies, but after that, for many years I have not seen any.
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
27 Jun 16
There are many fireflies in our garden during summer.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23404)
• United Kingdom
29 May 16
We do not have them in England Anna although I have got some garden lights from the USA which I hung over the arbor!
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
30 May 16
@garymarsh6 I am glad that you decided to tour Pisa independently. It's a shame to visit the city and not to visit the Baptistery and the Cathedral.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
30 May 16
Are you back home Gary? We had a guest during the last four days, so we played the tourists with him. Now life is back to normal.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23404)
• United Kingdom
30 May 16
@LadyDuck Yes we arrived back on Saturday. It was a wonderful cruise and I am over the moon about the trip we did to Pisa. We did it independently took the train and had about five hours there. We saw the people on an organised tour from the ship looking miserable as they were frogmarched around and were not able to stop and enter the Baptistery or the Cathedral. They were back on ship by 12.
1 person likes this
@ria1606roy (2797)
• Kolkata, India
5 Jun 16
I remember the fireflies entering our house at night through the ventilators in the wall and roaming above our heads, outside the mosquito netting. They looked so beautiful, although my sister used to be terrified of them Recently I haven't seen any, which makes me wonder if the rise of apartment complexes around us has led to their absence. I love the picture you have given. True, fireflies exist in a more natural environment, like a fresh pond water or a garden.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
6 Jun 16
We have a pond in the garden, I believe that the water attracts them. I have read that the fireflies quit the polluted areas in search of clean air.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
6 Jun 16
@ria1606roy Yes, it's so relaxing to see their flickering lights reflected in the water during the night.
1 person likes this
• Kolkata, India
6 Jun 16
@LadyDuck then it is good that you have a clear pond, because the fireflies attracted to them make it look even more beautiful.
1 person likes this
@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
23 May 16
when we had a certain tree, there were many fireflies that appear when night fell. they were so plenty that they don't leave even when we stayed under that tree
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
23 May 16
They do not seem to be afraid by humans, they come close to me when I walk in the garden at night.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
23 May 16
@ridingbet I did when I was a kid, we kept them for the evening and released them before going to sleep. Yes it's the tail that lights up.
1 person likes this
@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
23 May 16
@LadyDuck have you caught some and placed them in a jar? we did that before. it is their tail that light up.
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
23 May 16
How gorgeous to see! When we lived further north in Canada- we saw them and it was at this time of year too- we could see them out the huge family room window! Beautiful!
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
23 May 16
They come in late May and they stay several months, they usually disappear after mid August.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471118)
• Switzerland
24 May 16
@MarymargII I remember that I saw them during the hot summer nights in July and August.
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
24 May 16
@LadyDuck Wow- I didn't know they stick around so long- I only saw them in late May and through June!
1 person likes this