Life seemed so much simpler when I was a child. Growing up in the sixties meant lots of time spent outside in the summer months ~ running through sprinklers to stay cool, climbing trees, riding bikes, and chasing fireflies…
Our backyard seemed like an oasis in a dry central Texas town. A curved flower bed filled with zinnias beside the patio, plenty of shade trees and a lawn totally free of stickers. Three fig trees along the back fence grew large and produced a crop of figs, enjoyed by both the birds and our family. A tall metal swing frame held two swings and provided hours of delight. Laundry fluttered on the old fashioned clothesline along one side of the yard.
We had no cable tv, only two channels. We didn’t even get a color television set until I was in about third grade. Down time inside the house was spent reading, coloring or playing games. With so few choices for entertainment, we often opted for playtime outside when the heat subsided a bit after supper.
Evenings were the best part of the day, as the sun began its descent in the west and long shadows crept across the backyard. The sounds of crickets replaced the steady hum of the locusts that filled the hot daylight hours. And, as twilight fell, the fireflies came out to put on their subtle yet fantastic show.
Magical is the only word that comes to mind when reflecting on the phenomenon of the simple Lampyridae, a soft~bodied beetle commonly called a lightning bug or firefly. They began weaving their magic near the bushes along the back of the yard, darting to and fro out of the foliage. How we loved chasing after them, running barefoot in the grass with our arms outstretched wide, fingers reaching. Our grandmotherly neighbor used to tell us they were little fairies flitting around the garden. Oh, to capture that magical flickering light and keep it alive to take into our room at night…
With that goal in mind, we managed to catch a couple and put them in an old canning jar. Daddy popped a few holes in the lid with a hammer and nail and we were able to observe the little creatures up close. Of course, they are not fairies or magical looking at all! They look like what they are ~ a beetle. And to our dismay, they weren’t nearly as much fun in the jar as they were in flight. And, so we released them back to join their little beetle friends and carry on with the lightning party. Lesson learned ~ most creatures of nature do not hold nearly so much appeal in captivity as they do in their natural environment!
The sad reality is that most children growing up in cities these days nave never seen fireflies, as they are not so common anymore. When camping at an RV resort in a rural setting a couple of years ago, we witnessed the magical dance of a multitude of fireflies along a dry creek bed running through the campground beneath towering oak trees. I grabbed my phone and ran up close, trying to capture the sight on my camera. I was somewhat successful in getting video ~ it was good enough to send to my daughter’s phone so she could show my little granddaughters. But, the images in no way compared to the actual display, which for just a few minutes, propelled me back in time over five decades…
To those soft Summer evenings spent chasing fireflies at twilight…
Welcome to the porch... 