Glow little glow worm...

Last night I took the bus up to Bartel-Pritchard Square (it’s a circle) which is about 20 blocks from home; bought a three-scoop cup of ice cream (chocolate) and strolled into Prospect Park and secured a spot on a bench to listen to the New York Philharmonic Orchestra do its annual summer concert (free).  I didn’t actually go all the way to the concert venue, which was maybe three blocks further along but I was plenty close enough to hear the notes wafted into the sultry air.  And sultry it was; in fact so much so I pretty much gave up before the scheduled post-concert fireworks.

 Also when the sun set and the shadows merged into darkness there seemed to be an insectoid attack of the first rank and, combined with my sweaty brow and the necessity of wearing socks, it started to mitigate the joy of the semi-distant music and when the ice cream (chocolate) tuned into a Slurpee I decided to give the outing a pass.  This was a concert with strings attached that’s for sure.  Also, the insects swirling around seemed to be bigger and blacker than I was prepared to endure until, guess what, they started to twinkle here and there and within minutes the pathway I was strolling seemed to be filled with light.  Truly Christmas in July!

Scientific information:  Lampyridae is a family of insects in the beetle order Coleoptera. They are winged beetles, and commonly called fireflies or lightning bugs for their use of bioluminescence to attract mates and/or prey. Fireflies produce a "cold light" in various colors, our particular species being yellow.

About this time every year we get fireflies in my neighborhood and my backyard is often a gathering place for them.  However, this year, I’ve never seen so many.  If it was any other insect it would probably be called a plague but, in this case, it was a plague that dazzled.

The concert consisted of Dvorak’s Cello Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 and if that means nothing to you that’s okay because I’m certainly not a huge fan of classical music either.  I lump it all under the term “flute music” and it’s very nice in the background of my life.