The fireflies are a little different here in America’ Hometown in Missouri, a little brighter, shining longer, and more frequently.
Last week, in New York, our Cub Scout Pack attended a program at the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center where we discovered that the firefly population seems to be decreasing. Old timers, and anyone over 30 years old, say they no longer fill the night with their bright lights the way they used to when we were kids.
Are fireflies disappearing? New England volunteers are helping to discover if this is true by counting the fireflies in their backyards, just 10 seconds once a week, and sharing their findings with Firefly Watch.
Meanwhile, here at our campground in Hannibal, MO, the fireflies are plentiful. In the evening, I passed a dad teaching a pack a of kids how to catch them to light their lantern. I didn’t stick around to watch the results, but there were so many fireflies in the air, that the kids wouldn’t need much in the way of lessons to achieve success.
When we turned off our lights for the night, we could still see bright pinpoints of light hitting our tent like twinkling lights.
It was a magical setting, and the perfect backdrop for listening to Tom Sawyer over the Ipod speakers, here in Mark Twain’s hometown.
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Oh, Oh…..are you doing some touristy stuff in MO?
I found Tom Sawyers cave: Address: MO Hwy 70 So
Phone: (573) 221-1656
Directions: On the hill leaving town. One mile south of Hannibal.
Tom and Huck statue:
Directions: At the bottom of Cardiff Hill
Judge Clemens law office (I can’t find an address.)
Oh, yes, we listened to Tom Sawyer on audiobook, and then did the whole Mark Twain shebang.
Sandra Foyt´s last blog post..How Many Fireflies Can You Count In 10 Seconds?
Famous BBQ –
http://www.famousdaves.com/kansas-city-mo
131 East 14th Street
Kansas City, Missouri 64105
TO GO: 816-471-3700
We decided to go with the #1 pick, Arthur Bryant’s. It’s not fancy, but it’s good eatin’.
Sandra Foyt´s last blog post..How Many Fireflies Can You Count In 10 Seconds?
fancy means notin’ when your eatin’ bbq!!
Being from Mississippi, I remember fireflies quite fondly. I miss being surrounded by them. They do create a natural, romantic glow.
~ Kristi
19 fireflys seen on the First Day of Summer – 6/21
17 fireflys seen on Sunday, 6/28 – we are official watchers – thanks for the link!
We just got done watching the fire flies.We live in a rural upstate NY town near Rochester. It was like a wall of light. I couldn’t begin to give an estimate. Millions. Amazing. Kids remember something like that forever.
That’s incredible! A wall of light, wow! That’s good news for the environment.
Sandra Foyt´s last blog post..BBQ In Kansas City, Missouri