Lightning bugs, glow flies, or moon bugs – call them what you will, but If you’ve been missing the sight of a springtime dusk speckled by glowing fireflies, the Texas Hill Country may be the place you need to be this time of year. Those little flashes of their glowing lower abdomens emitting light out into the evening have the ability to impress onlookers, young and old alike. The only one of their kind able to imitate and emit light, their habitats have been dwindling in size in recent years due to development and urban sprawl, sending these luminescent creatures into areas they can find safe harbor and congregate in. The Texas Hill Country has plenty of fields and forests and the margins between them, allowing for prime viewing as they light up in flight and hover about after rainy seasons have come and gone.
Lifestyle
The True Magic of Nature That Fireflies Inspire in the Texas Hill Country
Photo: Facebook/Faerie Magazine
An article in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine (2008) identified that around the world there are more than 2,000 species of firefly. The United States has approximately 175 in total, and in Texas alone, there are 36! For the most part, light pollution keeps us from recognizing their luminous glow at their brightest, as our lighting in developed areas confuse them, and make it hard for them to gather like they normally would. Their flash, although humanly recognized as nostalgic or romantic, usually appears for one of two reasons: to attract a potential mate and as a warning to predators that they don’t taste very good.
Photo: Facebook/Mother Earth News
The light of the stars is what the Ancient Mayans believed fireflies carried with them, and in early Japanese history, it was thought these glowing beetles contained the souls of soldiers having perished in battle. Since the 8th century, the firefly has also represented passionate love in Japanese poetry, and have appeared prominently in Chinese, Roman, and Apache lore. Today, adults and children alike continue to be amazed by these little glowing spectacles, and a favorite pastime in the spring is for kids to catch some in a jar (preferably with holes in the lid), and watch their luminescence awhile before setting them free. They hint of nostalgia, romance, and simple springtime beauty, but there’s so much more to these unique blinking beacons. If you’re in an area of the Texas Hill Country that’s limited in light pollution and unlimited in the backdrop a firefly loves, you’re in for a wonderful show! Set out your lawn chair, turn off the porch lights, and let them dance in the night while you’re transported back to a more innocent time in your life. That’s some of nature’s true magic happening right there.
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