two hundred eighty three

THE "LIGHTENING BUGS" OF OHIO

 I was born in Eastern Ohio, in a small industrial town surrounded by small dairy farms, pastures, woods, ponds, lakes and meandering creeks. The mosquitos and flies were horrendous but I didn't know how bad they were until I moved to the desert southwest. 

We had very unpredictable weather because of the Great Lakes. Winters could be harsh or mild depending on the length of fir on the Wooly Worms acording to the Farmer's Almanac.

The mood of the jet stream had much more to do with it. If the Jet Stream flowed north of the Great Lakes winter was usually mild with little snow and no ice on the ponds and lakes. If it flowed south of the Great Lakes, Arctic cold air masses would line up to invade our state and give us six feet of winter snow and double digit below zero temperatures. 

This constant freeze and thaw created some of the largest pot holes in the country. A hard winter would reduce the insect population but a mild winter would give them an early start and a bad bug season. 

A few weeks each summer there is a bright spot we had what we called Lightening Bugs. You can find a few of them all summer but a couple of weeks in the middle of the summer they would fill the fields, parks and backyards. 

On those endless summer nights we would brave the mosquitos until they went to sleep and the air was filled with these surreal creatures. Children are fascinated by them and are compelled to catch as many as they can. They aren't actually flies they are beetles. There are many types of Fireflies, all I know about are the ones in Ohio. 

Our parents would call us in for the night but we were under the spell of the moment and ignored their threats. They would soon come out to scold us and realize it was lightening bug night. This was a wildcard moment and they would stop everything and sometimes join in or sit on the porch watching until we were all exhausted.

This is a stock picture, the boy is much cleaner then I remember ever being. All summer I was coated in dirt, tanned, scraped and bruised. I had to be threatened to wear shoes or a shirt. 

We played army, Tarzan and baseball. We drank from the garden hose, caught frogs, crawfish and snakes in the local creek. We had rock fights, explored the city sewer system and as boys we were fascinated with peeing.

In fact this was the penalty for the loser of our epic baseball games. We had arguments and fist fights over almost every call, balls, strikes, safe or out and foul or fare. At the end the victor got to pee on the loser that also ended in a fist fight.

I am covered with scars today that bring back childhood memories. The firefly nights were a pleasant moment of harmony that effected everyone. I actually saw my older brother and his bully friends join in in catching a few. They tried to maintain their cool but you could see the kid in their eyes and smiles.

If you ever get a chance to be in the right place at the right time to feel the magic of these mystical creatures, stop everything and see them. You could even leave your cool behind and look at them through the eyes of a child.