When I was a kid growing up in the Midwest, the arrival of Summer always meant something truly magical.
Fireflies.
Except we never called them that. No, we Midwestern kids called them Lightning Bugs.
Nighttime meant a landscape lit up by millions of the little flying insects, each pulsating with a yellow glow as they floated across lawns and gardens and, well, just about everywhere.
To our young eyes, the sight of those harmless fireflies gave our warm Summer vacation nights a special quality.
And what did we do to the fireflies in response to providing us with this sweet Summer scene?
We murdered them.
Yes, at some point in history, kids were encouraged to get a jar and chase down these little creatures and –- yes –- kill them. It could be a real challenge -- and lots of fun -- to catch a firefly/lightning bug, as they kept floating all around us, blinking on and off.
So why were we chasing them?
To pull off their little flashing butts to make “rings” and “bracelets” and "face paint" from them.
We learned that the blinking butts continued to shine after parting from the rest of the firefly’s body, and we would run around our yards collecting firefly body parts for our amusement.
"Hey, look at this one! It’s not yellow, it’s gold!” we’d yell to each other amid the slaughter of the sweet little insects.
At the time, I don’t recall feeling sorry for killing all those fireflies. They were simply part of Summer, to be enjoyed in a mindless celebration of their deaths at our young hands.
After all, the older kids had shown us how to do it, and our parents didn’t object.
So why not?
Looking back now, I regret my firefly-murdering nights. I now have a fuller understanding of what we were doing to those harmless little critters whose only crime was to shine their tiny lights in their annual Summer mating dance.
So how did they do it?
It’s a phenomenon called “bioluminescence,” and it’s a chemical reaction that happens in the firefly’s body. Scientists believe the flash helps attract a mate, but can also help protect them from predators who might be put off by their sudden flash.
Recent studies indicate the firefly/lightning bug is being threatened by a steady loss of habitat, increasing pesticide use and ever-expanding light pollution. Yes, the addition of more and more housing and commercial developments — with the attendant street lights, house lights and vehicle lights -- is driving the bugs away.
And -- simultaneously -- reducing their numbers and presence on those sweet Summer nights.
When I moved to the mountains, I stopped seeing fireflies. Higher altitudes and generally drier conditions are not good for them. They need warm, wet, weedy, and humid conditions to thrive.
But now my friends back in the MIdwest tell me they’re also seeing fewer of the little guys on Summer nights.
And that’s kind of a shame. As the threatened fireflies become less common and retreat to the lakes and forests and fields where they are safer and better able to find a mate, it seems that something is being lost.
I don't know: Maybe it’s a good thing there are fewer and fewer around for kids to mindlessly kill.
I just hope those magical, Summertime flashing night scenes won’t someday be gone forever.
Ah, the sweet memory of lightning bugs! I did not pull them apart but I happily participated in the quest of chasing them and putting them in jars. The person with the highest number collected won and then we released them at the end of the night.