Friday, July 29, 2011

Catching Lightening Bugs


Communicate with lightening bugs with a flashlight

The days have been so hot lately that I was inspired to think about getting in our outdoor playtime after dark. R was happy with this arrangement as well. He loves any excuse to play with a flashlight. So tonight we decided to go out and catch lightening bugs after the sun had set. We drilled some holes in the lid of a clean mayo jar, got our net and our flashlight, and headed out. You may be able to see a few if you click on the picture.

Earlier today I did a little research and visited this website to learn a little more about fireflies. We are surrounded by woods with a few places of overgrowth, so they were merrily flying about in whichever direction we chose to look.  We spoke about where they like to live and such as we sat down to watch the light show. 

It was amazing. We used the flashlight to imitate them and they really responded. We could see hundreds flash their lights in unison in the wood line. We did far more watching and walking than actual catching, but we had a wonderful time together as a family. It's something that I hope we do much more of before the season ends.

Do you call them fireflies or lightening bugs? Can you see them where you live? Have you noticed them dwindling from year to year?


5 comments:

  1. I don't think I've ever seen a lightening bug around here. Maybe I haven't looked? I'll definitely have to take the kids bug catching one day, it looks like lots of fun.

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  2. We don't have any lightning bugs around here- my son would love trying to catch them if we did! Thanks for stopping by my blog and YES, I am a sucker for Michael's crafts too!

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  3. We have a zillion lightening bugs here! Did you know that they eat mosquitoes?! So, not only are they the coolest bugs due to the lights, they're also doing us a favor - fun AND functional!
    And what a fun way to learn about how they communicate! I never thought to "talk" to them with a flashlight. We'll be doing this very soon!

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  4. I heard on a gardening show your grass has to be a certain height to attract them. (not sure how true that is) Also, have you seen the craft where you take an empty (plastic) jar and dot glow in the dark paint on the inside and use a sharpie on the outside to make antennae and wings and ta-da! Your very own Lightening Bugs in a Jar!!

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  5. Thank you for all the comments!

    And Deanna, I haven't seen that craft! It sounds really cute though! And yes, the higher the grass the better! Ligtening bugs live in the tall grasses and don't particularly like the lawn mower! Haha.

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