Bill Speer

I guess it depends on what part of the country you live in, but there are certain rites of passage from childhood to adulthood that need to be experienced.

In my estimation, one of those is the joy of collecting lightning bugs. There is nothing quite like sitting around a campfire on a summer evening listening to the logs popping from the heat and watching lightning bugs emerge from their hide-outs and begin glowing in the dark.

Like a beacon from one of the lights on the Great Lakes, the beam lights up the night sky, then fades out, only to re-emerge again a few seconds later.

Light also has a mesmerizing effect on people, thus, it should be no surprise at all that children are drawn to lightning bugs like a bee is to honey.

Soon, they are chasing after one bug or another. They quickly discover the lightning bugs are gentle and docile creatures. While perhaps initially they might tickle as they crawl around in your hand, soon children feel quite comfortable chasing after these insects from one corner of the yard to another.

And, almost a sure bet will be about 20 minutes into this round-up that one of the children will ask an adult if they have a jar. Mason jars are the best, but most any kind will do. With adult supervision, holes are punched into the lid of the jar for air. A small twig or two are placed inside the jar, followed by many blades of grass. Finally, the prized hostages are gently placed one by one into the jar, with a quick twist to the cap to ensure they won’t escape.

And like clockwork, the jar will begin glowing as the lightning bugs glow in the jar just as they did before their capture.

It is a simple pleasure.

Yet in its simplicity, it somehow offers a sense of tranquility as well to adults. The glow of the insects offers a basic beauty. While it offers no frills or exotic pleasures, its natural occurrence is satisfying enough for it reminds us all of a past time in our lives where worries were non-existent and we didn’t need “bigger and better” to make us happy.

In past years, I’ve watched my two sons grow up around lightning bugs.

These days, I’m more inclined to watch my four granddaughters also experience this wonderful rite of summer.

I hope you also have that same pleasure. But I worry for the future. Recent articles I’ve read suggest the number of lightning bugs is decreasing every summer because of light pollution expanding into new areas of the globe.

Some scientists seem worried. Others, not so much.

I figure the best way to formulate my own opinion is to follow the advice of a firefly and the Bible, and just continue to glow in the dark and not worry.

To paraphrase from the gospel of Matthew, don’t be anxious about tomorrow, it will have its own set of issues to deal with.

Until then, “this little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine …”

Bill Speer retired in 2021 as the publisher and editor of The News. He can be reached at bspeer@thealpenanews.com.