SUMMER EVENING MAGIC

BY DAN MILLER
(originally posted July 1, 2005)

On recent warm evenings, McKensie – my six year old – and I sat on the front steps catching lightning bugs.

Well, not exactly..... she runs out and catches them, and I sit there, making "a big to do" about her amazing ability as a lightning bug catcher.

Fact is, she's much better at catching the little critters than I was as a kid.
She can easily grab two in her hand at one time.
And I've convinced her that the World Record -- as recognized by the World Firefly Catching Federation -- is three in your hand at once, so she's shooting for that.
 
When I was a kid, I recall we would -- somehow -- spread the luminous part of the bugs on our shoes, so our feet would glow in the dark.
It pains me to think too much about the graphic details of how we did that. 

But McKensie, to her credit, chooses to let the bugs entertain her for a few minutes.... she talks to them a bit.... and then releases them back into the air.

Watching each bug closely, we became fascinated with their method of taking off.
Unlike birds and other flying critters, these guys actually start their little wings flapping… and, as though getting everything up to speed, they stay in place -- wings flapping -- for a brief second or two, before taking flight.   It’s almost as if they check all systems before committing to flight.

Here's something else we noticed.
Late in the day, with the sunlight slowly fading, you won't see any lightning bugs..... but then – suddenly -- as if on a magical cue – everywhere you look, they all begin to emerge from the moist lawns at precisely the same time.
Separated by streets and driveways and houses, the little bugs somehow emerge with seemingly coordinated timing.
Now how do they do that? Is there some sort of signal given? 

Of course, the real mystery of lightning bugs is how they shine that light.
When McKensie asked me how they do it, I said it was the magic of nature.

But I knew there was actually some kind of scientific, chemical explanation.
I went inside to look it up in the encyclopedia, so I could explain to her how the glow really happens.

But then I thought.... no -- this whole evening really is magic -- and she'll hear the scientific stuff soon enough.

Let's just leave it at "magic".

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