Today was the most beautiful day ... I just want to soak it all in before the terrible heat and humidity grabs hold of this city. I went on a walk around Capitol Hill today on my lunch break and found some new houses that I liked ... I want to own a house on Capitol Hill someday they are just so wonderfully old and strong and detailed and all DIFFERENT (that is my favorite part - the styles are so eclectic) ... sigh. Perhaps they just looked even more wonderful today because the cool breeze was blowing through my hair and I was taking it all in.
In other happiness I saw my first fireflies of the season tonight. I remember the first time I saw one in real life. It was my first time to DC in the summer of 2001. My parents and I were walking down by the reflecting pool, making our way to the Lincoln Memorial (this was before the World War II Memorial was built). It was dusk and the fireflies were just starting to come out! It was wonderful. I was so excited to see them in real life - how they suddenly light up and then just as quickly fade into the darkness. I had read books that mentioned them, but I had never seen them, such things don't exist in the west I guess or maybe they just don't exist in suburbia.
I still want to try to catch fireflies in a jar someday ... wouldn't that be fun? Ah, these are the good parts of summer ... if only I had a porch. And some fresh lemonade. One day - when I have my Capitol Hill house!
P.S. - did you know that the process of light production in fireflies is called bioluminescence. Its function in the adult beetles is primarily to locate other individuals of the same species for reproduction. Many species, especially in the genus Photinus (genus), are distinguished by the unique courtship flash patterns emitted by flying males in search of females. Photinus females generally do not fly, but give a flash response to males of their own species (from wikipedia).
Of course the cool light action would have to do with reproduction ... figures.
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2 comments:
We didn't have fireflies in my neighborhood either! I also first saw them in DC.
Dave and I have this ongoing joke (which the root of is way too long to tell, and not that interesting) about how he has turned his light off. I love me some fireflies...and I am totally coming over to sit on your DC porch with you.
We did have fireflies in both my VA and PA neighborhood. They were both in suburbia. I can't imagine a childhood without fireflies.
When Sterling was little my brother told her that if she touched them she would die. She was quite the clingy child and we could never figure out why.
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