Fireflies

One of my favourite things about Tennessee summers has got to be fireflies. Alberta doesn't have them (I think the evenings are too chilly, or maybe too dry), and I remember seeing them when I would visit my cousins in Ontario growing up, but they are just everywhere here. There is something truly magical about sitting out in the warm, humid evening with crickets (or are they cicadas? maybe something else?) chirping and fireflies lighting up around the tree.

In case you were wondering (I was), fireflies create their light through bio-luminescence, which is a chemical reaction within their bodies. Their flashing is used for mating and communication purposes, and different flash patterns mean different things. A male may flash saying he's on the prowl, and a female will respond. Basically no different than the bars in Nashville. Or a game of Marco Polo. Also - there are only two places in the world that experience the phenomenon of fireflies syncing their glow - southeast Asia and the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, during the first 2 weeks of June. You better believe I will be there next June.

Side note - yes, people still catch fireflies in jars. Also, my coworker Lindsay was kind enough to smear the guts of one on my hand, which in fact still glows. They are also the world's most efficient source of light energy. Someone call the government - I have solved the energy crisis.

You're welcome.

Not the most photogenic creatures, so this stock image
will have to illustrate my point.