Flashy-ass Gordon
"Although firefly remains the literary and formal word, lightning bug is the term used by the majority of Americans for the slow-moving flying insect that flashes in the dark. Nearly 80 percent of those interviewed for the Dictionary of American Regional English volunteered lightning bug, while not quite 30 percent said firefly (including those who said both). Only in the northernmost states, especially New England, and along the Pacific coast, does firefly hold its own with lightning bug. Bug itself is nowadays an American term; since the 18th century, the British have preferred insect."
(The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language)
Also:
- Did you know that - "If you live in the United States, west of about the middle of Kansas, you are not apt to have the flashing type of fireflies in your area. Although some isolated sightings of luminous fireflies have been reported from time to time from regions of the western U.S., fireflies that glow are typically not found west of Kansas. The reason for this phenomenon is not known." [Ref]
- A great photo series of the developmental stages of a firefly. Strangely, the larvae of the firefly are predators but the adults seem to feed on plant nectar. Guess the fire in their bellies dies out with age ;)
- You cannot miss the excellent website BugGuide.net
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posted @ 10:27 AM
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4 comments
4 Comments:
"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning." --Mark Twain
In Ohio, where I grew up, our backyard was filled with lightning bugs (or fireflies, we used the terms interchangeably). I regret to say that every summer scores of these innocent creatures died by our hands, their luminescence streaking beautifully across the night sky, after swings of our whiffle ball bats.
We'd also keep them in glass jars (along with ample sticks and grass, in an effort to approximate their natural environment) sealed by lids with air holes thoughtfully drilled into them. The bugs never lasted long though. Our debates over what they ate went round and round.
Phil
:) Phil, that's really funny and beautifully described as well!
Being a city dweller, I didnt get to see too many fireflies, and my childhood naturalist experiments involved considerably less spectacular bugs -- mosquitos, weaver ants, centipedes, bees and cockroaches.
There was a giant beehive on the top of the 90-apt building I lived in and every night in summer, some of these bees would get into my apt and buzz around the lights. My 'weapon' of choice in this case was a ping-pong bat :).
But on the breeding and naturalist end of things, the weaver-ant and mosquito "experiments" were by far the most successful. I actually managed to keep several mosquito larvae alive right through their larval stage and watched the exact moment when they underwent metamorphosis and emerged from their pupal shells. It is quite an amazing sight!!
But for obvious reasons I never let the mosquitos go free once they emerged.
(this calls for another bug-related posting, doesnt it! :))
very interesting thots 'bout fireflies ,i dunno if u know hindi but therez a beautiful song which goes like this 'yaadoein ki sab jugnu jungle mein rahte hai' (roughly translates as the memories of fireflies live in jungles)
n njoyed the comment of anony also (Mark Twain rox)
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