Fireflies

Lightning Bugs

  This year again we had fireflies in our garden. It seems fitting to write about fireflies on the first day of September, since they give us something bright to remember  as winter approaches.
   We called them "lightning bugs" back in Maryland when I was growing up and I still remember how our hands smelled after catching them to light up old Mason jars. Over the years, living mostly in an urban environment, I had forgotten about fireflies until a fair number of them showed up over the last few years bringing along their lanterns, lured by warm weather and a damp garden. They are only around for a very short period. It would be nice to have them during the long, dark nights ahead.
   Recently, I am pleased to report, they have been spotted in Brooklyn. I am not so happy to let you know that they are facing some difficulties in Bali, but it was good to learn that they exist in other regions of the world and some steps are being taken to protect them.
   While typing this I remembered something about "flocks" of fireflies (I am not sure what collective noun applies) all flashing at the same time. I figured it might be just a rural myth, but Synchronous Fireflies do exist in the Smokies. So many people travel to see them, that getting into Elkmont is almost as difficult as getting into the Masters in Augusta.

Sources:

   "When the Fireflies Come Out to Play: For a Few Weeks in the Summer, They Emerge from Underground and Perform Their Aerial Light Show, Hoping to Find Some Action," Hilary Howard, New York Times, Aug.2, 2026.
In Brooklyn, they , noticed the spike in fireflies about three years ago. “And this summer has been no exception..." Fireflies, which are technically beetles, thrive on the resulting rich soil, she said. They spend most of their lives — two years — underground in their larval stage, “so the soil needs to have enough life in it to support them,” she said. By the time they are airborne adults, they are interested only in mating and don’t eat that much, occasionally sipping on water or plant nectars, she said. Recent firefly swarms in the city are somewhat of a mystery. There is no official data to indicate whether the presence of fireflies is increasing..."  
   The most vulnerable populations in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions tend to live in salt marshes, a rapidly disappearing habitat, Mr. Joyce said.  Fireflies have only a few weeks to live after they emerge from the ground. “The males, once they’ve done their duty, that’s the end of their life cycle,” Ms. Rossi said. “The females are going to lay their eggs in the soil again.” Then, it’s lights out.

   "A Quest to Restore the Sacred Glow of Fireflies in Bali: The insects, revered in local culture, are disappearing for many reasons, including rapid development to cater to tourists," Mukitita Suhartono, New York Times, Aug. 12, 2026.
   "For generations, the soft glow of the lightning bugs was part of the steady rhythm of nightfall in rural Bali. Today, they are fading, driven away by climate change, aggressive land development for tourism, chemical-intensive farming and artificial light that disrupts their mating rituals."
   In 2018, after more than a decade of working as a server on cruise ships, Mr. Wardika moved back to Taro, an ancient village about 20 kilometers, or around 12 miles, north of Ubud, Bali. Converting a corner of his family compound he then founded the Firefly Conservation House, Indonesia’s first firefly conservation facility, which melds Balinese tradition with rigorous science.
   A team of biologists at the lab conducts research ranging from field mapping and population counts to controlled rearing and breeding. Researchers build small glass terrariums they call honeymoon suites, a microhabitat designed specifically for courtship. Inside they pair lab-reared females with males caught from the wild, which they say ensures optimal breeding results.
The payoff is not quick. While an adult firefly lives for a brief 22 days, growing one from an egg into a mature beetle takes anywhere from six months to nearly two years, depending on the species. Raising fireflies inside the lab is half the battle. To ensure the fireflies have a safe environment to return to, Mr. Wardika encourages local farmers to switch to regenerative organic agriculture. To cut down on chemical use, Mr. Wardika has given out homemade compost, fruit-fermented fertilizer and natural tobacco-based pesticides.The sanctuary also operates as an eco-tourism destination, which acts as a source of revenue."

   Synchronous Fireflies - Great Smoky Mountains National Park.     

Fireflies of the Smokies
   "Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to 19 unique species of fireflies out of over 2,000 species identified worldwide. Among these, the synchronous fireflies (Photinus carolinus) are particularly famous, known as one of few species with the incredible ability to synchronize their flashing patterns. This mesmerizing display transforms sections of the forest into a flickering spectacle, a true marvel of nature.

Why the synchrony?
   "Researchers have investigated the reasons behind this synchronized flashing behavior; however, the synchronous behavior is not yet fully understood. One theory suggests that males flash in unison to elicit a call-and-response interaction from the females. A study found that female fireflies of this species only respond when an adequate amount of flashing is presented to them. Once enough light is generated in the forest, the much dimmer females will respond during the pauses in the males' flashing pattern.
   The flash pattern of Photinus carolinus is a remarkable sequence of five to eight distinct flashes, followed by an eight-second pause of darkness, before the cycle repeats. Initially, the flashing may appear random, but as more males join in, their rhythms align, creating a breathtaking display of pulsating light throughout the forest."

Flotsam and Jetsam

FLOTSAM and JETSAM

First the Flotsam

     It is no consolation at all that those now cruising during the March Break may be ploughing through seas filled with garbage. If some chose to go to a beach instead, they may still be walking and wading through debris. I think that what I have suggested is true because I have remained in the snowy north reading rather than travelling. Here are some recent examples of trashiness that I will present with sadness rather than schadenfreude.

     One can escape the crowds and flocks of tourists by going to exotic and less popular places, but the garbage may still be there.

Roatan

     Roatan is an island in the far Western Caribbean and one might assume it is far enough away from the more popular ports to be safe from debris. Such is not the case.
“What was once an idyllic coastline along the shores of Roatan now is choked with tides of plastic waste. The Locals noticed that suddenly their coastline was inundated with plastic trash, from bags and bottles to plastic cutlery and packaging material.
It is thought that the plastic originated from the mouth of Guatemala's Montagua River, which recently carried a wave of trash from Guatemala out to sea.”
“Idyllic Caribbean Island Covered In A Tide Of Plastic Trash Along Coastline,” Trevor Nace, Forbes, Oct. 27, 2017.

Bali 

     That word makes you think of the South Pacific and you are likely hearing the song Bali Hai rustling through the palms. Keep those old images in mind because the current ones are not so good.
“A British diver has captured shocking images of himself swimming through a sea of plastic rubbish off the coast of the Indonesian tourist resort of Bali.
Rubbish has been inundating Bali for several months now, washing over mainly from the neighbouring island of Java during the annual rainy, or “trash” season.
Several weeks ago thousands across Bali took part in a mass clean up, in attempt to rid the island’s beaches, rivers and jungles of waste, and raise awareness about the harmful impacts of trash.”
‘Plastic, Plastic, Plastic: British Diver Films Sea of Rubbish off Bali,” Kate Lamb, The Guardian, March 6. 2018.

Henderson Island

     Even if you travel to one of the remotest islands in the world where there are no people you will find garbage. I will spare you the picture.
“Henderson Island lies in the South Pacific, halfway between New Zealand and Chile. No one lives there. It is about as far away from anywhere and anyone on Earth.”
“How an Uninhabited Island Got the World’s Highest Density of Trash
Isolation protects the island from human intrusion—but not 18 tons of plastic.” Laura Parker, May 17, 2017, National Geographic.

Beirut

     If you are one of those who used the break to go to Europe or some country in the Middle East, you probably assumed  that dunking  in the Mediterranean would be a bit dodgy and probably were not going to attempt to swim the the Hellespont. Even a stroll along the strand can be problematic these days. I also assume that most of the cedars are gone.
“A winter storm in Lebanon has resurfaced a longstanding national problem, in the form of a swirling sea of garbage. Piles of trash began washing up Monday on the beaches of Zouk Mosbeh, a town 10 miles north of Beirut, leaving the shore littered with refuse. An earlier storm surge had dragged trash from a landfill out to sea, later depositing it along the coastline and up to 100 feet inland.
“A Sea of Trash on Lebanon’s Beaches,” Nada Homsijan, New York Times, Jan. 23, 2018.

Now the Jetsam

     Apart from all the detritus spilling into the rivers and oceans and accidentally falling from huge container ships one has to consider all the debris deliberately set adrift. You probably read the recent story that went viral and spread quickly, much like the subject it considered - a bottle that was one of several hundred placed in the water over a hundred years ago.
“World's Oldest Message in a Bottle Found by Beachwalker in Australia: Gin Bottle Was Thrown Overboard from a German Ship Before Ending up on a Beach in Western Australia 132 Years Later,” Naaman Zhou, The Guardian, March 6, 2018
“Inside, she found a roll of paper printed in German and dated to 12 June 1886, which was authenticated by the Western Australian Museum.The bottle had been thrown overboard from the German sailing ship Paula in 1886 as it crossed the Indian Ocean, 950km from the Australian coast, according to Ross Anderson, the museum’s assistant curator of maritime archaeology.
     At the time, German ships were conducting a 69-year experiment that involved throwing thousands of bottles into the sea to track ocean currents.
His finding was confirmed by experts at the German Naval Observatory. The previous record for oldest message in a bottle was 108 years.
Of the thousands jettisoned, 662 other messages from the same German experiment have been found and returned before the latest discovery. The most recent was found in 1934.”

Have a Guinness on Me

     Even on the eve of Saint Patrick’s Day I will continue to offer the bonus stuff you expect. While you may have read the recent “Message in the Bottle” story, you may not be aware that around 200,000 bottles of good old Guinness were placed in the water back in the 1950s and they continue to roll in with the tides. I have to begin my celebrations early so I will leave you with the story rather than attempt to tell it. See:
The Guinness Bottle Drop. If you were walking on the beach in Nova Scotia you may have found one - Bottle from 1959 Guinness Promotion Washes Ashore in N.S.