Chocolate? Or Just Striking a Classic Pose? – Photo: L. Weikel
Bunnies and Bugs
The last few days have yielded such an abundant array of magical encounters with insects and animals that it’s hard to choose which photos I want to share. I’m excited that I managed to get a few photos of lightning bugs as they emerged from long field grasses at twilight. And the evening before, just slightly earlier in the evening, a bunny could’ve been the model for chocolate Easter Bunnies worldwide. Bunnies and bugs, an unbeatable pair.
Every now and then you can’t go wrong by taking a walk well after sundown but before all the light disappears. The temptation to do so increases exponentially when we’re enduring day after day of summer heat and, worse, humidity that can bring you to your knees.
Spartacus and I took our daily constitutional just after 8:00 p.m. last night and our efforts were amply rewarded.
Lightning Bugs Frolicking – Photo: L. Weikel
Reprieve From the Heat
Walking well after sundown was the only way to avoid flirting with heat-related complications. As the day unfolded, neither Spartacus nor I felt like keeling over, yet we knew it was a possibility. The air became so hot and close in the late afternoon that even I had to abandon my beloved porch. This was not a defeat I take lightly.
Besides the gift of a complete lack of traffic, walking later treated us to a delightful array of night sounds, primarily comprised of tree frogs, bull frogs, crickets, and catbirds. And as I mentioned above, the lightning bugs were out in full force, rising from their hiding places deep within the crosshatch at the base of the field grasses.
The batch we saw last night seemed to consist of a variety of lightning bug society. There were the quick flashers and the long zippers, trailing their names across the sky like sparklers. Some abdomens sported bold statements – akin to klieg lights – while others seemed to barely generate any wattage at all.
I’ll be curious to see how well the photo I’m placing below is able to be seen once its published. As it shows up on my laptop, there’s a distinctive quality to it that makes it look far more like a painting than a photo. It delights me – and I hope it translates onto your screen.
Annual Urge
I’m always agog by the magic of walking in the evening. It’s almost as if I forget the loveliness of the experience, in spite of it engaging virtually every one of my senses.
Consider this my annual entreaty to each of you to give yourself the gift of an evening stroll at least once this summer. I know it’s hard to drag yourself outside once the sun is down and you’ve settled into your living room’s comfy spots. But I guarantee you will hold in your heart forever the mystical beauty of watching lightning bugs rise up and play.
Unedited and unfiltered – lightning bugs – Photo: L. Weikel
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