Cul de Sac by Richard Thompson for June 27, 2018

pre-captured lighting bugs… how original

I saw them in Norfolk, VA when dad was stationed there about…oh…62 years ago. I’ve never been anywhere they were since then, and they’re one of the things I really miss.

We’ve had exchange students from France and Morocco, and they were enchanted by the lightening bugs. Apparently they only live in America – or on the East Coast of.

There don’t seem to be as many as there used to be. Perhaps they are moving north with the temperate zone.

I’ve never seen one. :(

Years ago I lived on one of the last farms in an area being developed into large-lot housing. There was marshy field along one of the roads home, and every summer the reeds would be alive with fire flies. It was like looking at diamonds on black velvet. Enchanting.

:-) just found out that this is a re-loop of the story published here about 10 years ago: https://www.gocomics.com/culdesac/2008/06/25

Specify; the kid’s 4 years old!

When Dad’s cousin Ruth – a teacher in Minnesota, which lacked lightning bugs at the time – came down to Illinois in 1981 for my sister’s wedding, she recruited the little kids to catch some for her to bring back to show her summer school science class (as I recall, the class was called “Animal Friends.”

I miss lightning bugs. They used to be numerous, in Chicago proper as well as in the near suburbs. Now, in those same areas, more or less, I rarely if ever see one.

BTW, for the record, Dill, you are misrepresentiing what Peter told you….

They’re still around in upstate NY on warm nights.

We have them in rural S.E. MI. I think so many places have “light pollution” that it’s too light out at night to see the fire flies/lightning bugs. I enjoy seeing them. Once we had some kittens that we saw trying to catch the lightning bugs, leaping into the air. That was fun.