Firefly nightlight

[Mousetoescamper]

Do you remember catching fireflies in June and placing them in a jar with a perforated lid? My lids were made from aluminum foil which I'd carefully punctured with a fork. I usually placed some blades of grass in the jar for the fireflies to "eat." When I'd had my fill of capturing the beetles, the jar was placed atop the chest of drawers in my bedroom for the night. In the morning I released the beetles back into the wild.

I captured a firefly in the back yard tonight and placed it in the cut-glass globe of a light fixture. I placed the globe, open-end down, on a table and took some long-exposure (10 seconds maximum) photos. The firefly was captive for maybe 15 minutes and was released into the back yard, none the worse for wear. There was no need to keep the firefly overnight; I now have a photo that I can enjoy any time I like.

The blue light is from a digital stove clock.

[Walleye]

1. We have lots of lightning bugs around here tonight, we used to catch them and put them in a jar for sure

The cat on the bookcase looking out the window was fascinated

[Mousetoescamper]

3. There's still some magic in those childhood memories.

[Walleye]

4. Absolutely. I remember the smell of the weeds we tramped around in and everything

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Very clever of you, my dear Mousetoescamper!

And the photo is first-rate!

I love the blue light It almost looks liquid, the way it flows over the surface of the glass.

[Mousetoescamper]

6. While a little jar full of fireflies might have made a dramatic shot...

...I wasn't up for a firefly safari. But I wanted to satisfy my nostalgia for the magic of chasing fireflies on a warm June night and falling asleep in the glow of their bioluminescence.


Thanks!

[Arne]

5. I'll never forget staring intently at that tail

up close. As a child it looked like a nuclear furnace.

[Mousetoescamper]

7. Yes, and it's among my most vivid and pleasant childhood memories.

[Arne]

8. I have another one similar.

It was intently staring at the radium dial on the alarm clock.

I've worn glasses ever since.

[Mousetoescamper]

9. Hahaha! I did the same and had a radium-dial watch as well.

We weren't in any danger, but the dial painters--the Radium Girls as they came to be called--got radiation poisoning. They'd been told by managers to give their brushes a fine tip by placing the tip to their lips.

[Arne]

10. I was mesmerized by the bright green flashing.

[Silent Type]

11. Love that, and the story is great. Nowadays, I don't see many "lightening bugs," I miss them.

[Mousetoescamper]

12. Thanks!

[Easterncedar]

13. The firefly display this week in my little garden has been magic

I am in awe of your genius in coming up with this amazing picture

[Mousetoescamper]

14. Thanks!