This might be a silly question... (fireflies and other regional phenomena) (Philadelphia: house, neighborhood)

[LookingforFireflies]

A few summers ago I stayed with my in-laws in East Stroudsburg and was in awe when the sun went down and the fireflies/lightning bugs came out. How many of you regularly see fireflies in your yard or neighborhood during the summer? Was I able to see so many of them because we were so far from an urban area like Philly? Or do people who live in Philly or Pittsburg suburbs get to enjoy fireflies as well?

When you come from a place where something like that just doesn't exist, it almost doesn't seem real. Are there other really beautiful phenomena in Pennsylvania that outsiders don't realize occur there? One more thing that comes to mind are cherry blossom trees. I need to put witnessing them bloom on my bucket list.

[Muinteoir]

They're lightning bugs. And we have them in droves in Philadelphia. I absolutely love it.

[jtab4994]

Originally Posted by SoFlaMom

When you come from a place where something like that just doesn't exist, it almost doesn't seem real. Are there other really beautiful phenomena in Pennsylvania that outsiders don't realize occur there? One more thing that comes to mind are cherry blossom trees. I need to put witnessing them bloom on my bucket list.

Another glowing nighttime treat is foxfire, a bioluminescent fungus that can be seen out in the woods if you aren't lighting up the area with floodlights and flashlights and such. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxfir...e%20luciferase.

[PAhippo]

A here and we also have fireflies/lightning bugs. Either name acceptable. Usually appearing in June around here and gone mostly mid July.


If you'd like the cherry blossoms in spring bet you'd really enjoy the sound of peepers, a little tiny frog seldom seen but man they can sure make a racket.





Also fall colors-think Vermont on steroids.


Grand canyon of PA (aka Pine Creek Gorge) about a 3 hr trip north on East Stroudsburg. lots of stuff to do and see in that area. hiking, biking, kayaking, eating....


In Potter County, Cherry Springs State Park, one of the darkest places on the east coast.


and in Bedford County, you can coast uphill.


https://www.gravityhill.com/


and, no, it's not a silly question. Kind of like asking a grandparent about their grandkids tho'. The answers don't stop.


Come visit.

[Ohiogirl81]

Lightning bugs are almost everywhere in Pennsylvania. I live in an urban neighborhood and see plenty. When I was younger, at my uncle's farm in Butler County, we could see thousands of them just after dusk.

A seasonal bug found near water - especially over Lake Erie - is the mayfly, also called Canadian soldiers. They often fly in swarms so thick you can't see through them, or they show up on radar. When I was a kid, the siding of our house would be covered in them every year.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by jtab4994

Another glowing nighttime treat is foxfire, a bioluminescent fungus that can be seen out in the woods if you aren't lighting up the area with floodlights and flashlights and such. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxfir...e%20luciferase.

I've never seen that in person.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by PAhippo

A here and we also have fireflies/lightning bugs. Either name acceptable. Usually appearing in June around here and gone mostly mid July.

.....

Come visit.

My sister moved to the west coast many years ago. I call her every June when I see the first lightning bug of the season.

[jtab4994]

Originally Posted by Gerania

I've never seen that in person.

Foxfire is pretty cool. I actually collected a sample and brought it in to work for Show & Tell! I suppose it goes unnoticed because most people don't walk around in the dark. Although with all the damp weather we've been having there may be a fair amount out there now.

[LookingforFireflies]

Originally Posted by Gerania

My sister moved to the west coast many years ago. I call her every June when I see the first lightning bug of the season.

West Coast - that's where I'm from. Born and raised in California. The first time I saw lightning bugs, it was like seeing a unicorn, lol. I almost didn't believe they were real. They have fake ones on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, so seeing them in person was pretty darn cool.

I definitely like witnessing things that are not common to the places I frequent. I ended up living in Brooklyn for five years and when the leaves changed color every year, I would put a few really colorful ones in a ziplock bag and mail them to my mom and sister back home on the west coast.

Thank you for the responses. Pennsylvania is such a beautiful state. It seems like it has a little bit of everything - something for everyone.

[villageidiot1]

My granddaughters were catching some last night. I don't think there are as many as when I was growing up in the 1960s. I'm guessing the use of pesticides, both on lawns, and along roads and utility right of ways have reduced the number.