Lights out? Experts fear fireflies are dwindling (a recent inquiry on DU)

[babsbunny]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080830/ap_on_re_as/fading_fireflies

By MICHAEL CASEY, AP Environmental Writer
Sat Aug 30, 12:09 PM ET



BAN LOMTUAN, Thailand - Preecha Jiabyu used to take tourists on a rowboat to see the banks of the Mae Klong River aglow with thousands of fireflies.


These days, all he sees are the fluorescent lights of hotels, restaurants and highway overpasses. He says he'd have to row a good two miles to see trees lit up with the magical creatures of his younger days.

"The firefly populations have dropped 70 percent, in the past three years," said Preecha, 58, a former teacher who started providing dozens of row boats to compete with polluting motor boats. "It's sad. They were a symbol of our city."

[dkofos]

1. Try looking further north.

[Stellabella]

3. I'm in Minnesota, and have not seen fireflies for a few years.

We used to get them, especially around our astilbe. After the Fourth of July fireworks there would be some winking in the yard. None this year or last year, maybe one or two the year before.

[Frosty1]

10. I'm in Northern Minnesota

I saw very few last year like 3 or 4. None this year. We still have bees.

[Errrica]

2. I bet it was Palin

First the bears, now the fireflies.

[csziggy]

7. Don't forget the penguins!

:dunce:

[CatWoman]

4. Babs

I'm one of the DUers who have posted this observation.

Here in Atlanta, I've seen maybe one or two fireflies this entire summer :(

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

5. Ahh- a perfect chance for me to post one of my favorite poems

I wrote this many years ago, and have posted it in the Lounge a few times. Never had a reason to put it in GD before, though...

Enjoy!


Lightning Bugs

Warm springtime dusk-- Just right
for barefoot-running through
the back-yard grass so cool
and tickley; fresh and nice--
The flashes happen suddenly,
hidden at the corner of an
unsuspecting eye--
Now stop! Stand still;
don't breathe or blink,
for they may see and fly,
unseen, away!
Now over there! Up in the trees!
As night sneaks up to cool the breeze;
a Flash! and Flash!
Before you know you're darting
here and there across
the night-dark grassy lawn,
hands snatching at
a million zillion flecks
of winking yellow light--
You reach, and catch!
Your Mason jar is full
of blinking midnight
magic-lantern fire!
So, giggling, off to bed--
You keep your jar safe by your head--
You drowse to sleep, and smiling, dream
of whirring through the night on wings of
sprinkly, starry, winking, twinkly light.

© 2008 Steven A. Hessler
All Rights Reserved

[babsbunny]

11. Beautiful!

:toast:

[tech3149]

6. Western PA the population is down considerable from 30 years ago

The interesting thing is the ratio of male to female. Just a casual observation it seems to be about 10:1 male to female.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

8. I live about 50 miles from NYC, and when I moved up here 21 years ago, I only started to see

fireflies outside of my development 6 years after that. This is the first summer I've seen them right where I live. Either they are migrating, or the population is increasing here.

[nradisic]

9. I see quite a few in my NJ back yard...

The house is about 25 NW of NYC. On warmer summer nights, you can see quite a few fireflies in our back yard...

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. We had them this summer, but it did seem like there were fewer than in the past.

[KoKo]

13. Thanks BBunny for posting this. I asked about this a couple weeks ago...

here's the link to post and replies from early August, if anyone wants to see what DU'ers replied about their area. :hi:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x8037432