5.7.11

Green LEDs in the flowerbeds

What an awesome sight. After I figured out what it was.
At first it scared the life out of me. When I was letting the roller blinds drop I noticed some faint light through the window. It was in one of the flower beds. It looked like a green LED. My first thought was: 'We're being spied on' and there is some remote transmitter thing hidden among the flowers.
Then I opened up the door to see what it was when I noticed about six more of these strange green light dots! OMG we're surrounded.
Then it finally dawned on me: Fireflies! Luckily my paranoia settled down.

Lampyris noctiluca. Smashing. I fumbled around for my camera and took a 30 second exposure photograph. Alas the only light is from the street lantern so the picture looks decidedly orange.

This was the first time I've seen them here. It's only the first season in this house. We didn't have any at the old house, probably because the farmers there sprayed everything with insecticide and killed off everything, including this species.

It was only the second time I've ever seen them IRL. And that was last year when on holiday in the Eiffel mountains.

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