0 comment Thursday, August 28, 2014 | admin
One of the charming aspects about summer riding in DC, and probably throughout the East Coast, is firefly season. Lasting from roughly late May through mid July, many species of firefly larvae gestate into their adult form for what appears to be a mass firefly rave. After two years of pupal squirming, the fireflies look to their remaining two weeks of life as their one and only chance to mate, and lay some eggs.
To the casual human observer, this all means pretty blinking ethereal lights between dusk and dawn.
Having spent the past decade predominantly in the Western U.S., I was cheerfully reminded of nature's light show a few weeks ago while riding home. Hovering before me on my night ride through Rock Creek Park were thousands of fireflies, creating a slightly psychedelic sensation as I rode down the narrow forested path. It is somehow comforting to see these little flashes of brilliant light amidst the canopied darkness.
Their numbers seem to be slowly dwindling, perhaps they will follow the diminishing daylight as harbingers of fall. I hope they stick around a little while longer. And I hope that you, dear reader, are so lucky to see them illuminating your way on a night ride sometime soon.
Credit to this New York Times article for reminding me of the uniqueness of this wonder of nature.
To the casual human observer, this all means pretty blinking ethereal lights between dusk and dawn.
Having spent the past decade predominantly in the Western U.S., I was cheerfully reminded of nature's light show a few weeks ago while riding home. Hovering before me on my night ride through Rock Creek Park were thousands of fireflies, creating a slightly psychedelic sensation as I rode down the narrow forested path. It is somehow comforting to see these little flashes of brilliant light amidst the canopied darkness.
Their numbers seem to be slowly dwindling, perhaps they will follow the diminishing daylight as harbingers of fall. I hope they stick around a little while longer. And I hope that you, dear reader, are so lucky to see them illuminating your way on a night ride sometime soon.
Credit to this New York Times article for reminding me of the uniqueness of this wonder of nature.
Labels: Ride