Here in Ringoes, we have thousands it seems. And there seems to be different flash varieties, with some flashing twice and then going dark, others with one long flash and then dark.

More than ever here in my back yard; it even surprised DH. In years past, they'd never venture around the deck, always the far end of my yard. This year, they're loads back there, and plenty on and around the deck. I also have lots of beautiful dragonflies; they've been buzzing around for a few weeks now.

I'm just wondering where the butterflies are; only cabbage whites so far, and even their numbers seem to be higher...

New Milford, Bergen County

An amazing sight locally, is the show they put on just at dusk on the saltmarshes. You cannot concieve of so many and at any one moment, only a percentage are flashing.

I have so many dragon flies. Must be casue have horses and pasture so they have fies around to eat. Have two types that seen so far. My husband thinks they showed up due to my new flower bed.

Just starting to "glow" in "force" :). I was trying to capture a pic. Any tips? :)

Found a lightening bug larvae while digging at dusk this year. They have two spots that glow that look like eyes. The kids got a kick out of it as did I. Never saw one before.

I'm in Metuchen, and we have lightning bugs galore! My 15-month old son loves looking at them, and we're teaching him how to catch them gently. They remind me so much of my childhood!

I would add that any glowing on the ground and unable to fly might very well be the females. I think they are the ones to whom the term 'glow worm' refers and they return the males signals so they may be found for mating.
When I was a kid, I had a camera whose shutter could be held open for time lapse. A camera with such a feature might take some interesting photos.

love those lightning bugs -- their larvea eat slugs (yes!!!)love those dragonflies -- they eat mosquitoes and flies. I have both in abundance, and the dragonflies seems more abundant and more varied than ever this year.

Flowersandthings,

I haven't read about how to photograph fireflies, but I bet you could get a good shot by using the techniques photographers use when shooting lightning. They leave the shutter open on a tripod. Google "photographing lightning" or see the link below.

I would assume the firefly glow would be a streak at such a low shutter speed. This is pretty interesting in itself, as different species trace different patterns in the air.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Photograph Lightning

Thanks for that info ladychroe that's very interesting. I'll look into that. :)

We have lots more than usual too. We were down at the marshes by the Delaware Bay in Fortescue last weekend and it was the first time that I saw lightning bugs there and they freaked me out lol. The lights looked blue, I kept asking my husband why there were blue lights in the grass lol. But it was way cool. We have quite a few dragonflies around our pond this year too, love to look at them.
Cindy

Yes ... this year we have many more fireflies, dragonflies, & (unfortunately) japanese beetles - they have totally defoliated all of the hibiscus moscheutos & are working on the tomatoes now.. also saw the second swallowtail of the year today!