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Hi Rick & All,
The fireless firefly Ellychnia corrusca is a beetle that makes use
of 8 months in some years. They are active in late winter/early spring
when sap runs from broken branches and Poplar cankers start to ooze.
Microclimate is an important determinant of activity for many;
especially slope, shelter from wind, degree of shade and moisture
content of soil. And some (e.g. Stoneflies) seem to thrive when cold.
So as usual it takes all kinds to make this world. A passage in
Classification of Insects 1954 sums it up nicely; "...nor can any
comprehension of the infinite variety of nature be acquired except by
close observational contact with the things themselves."
YT, DW, Kentville
On 6/6/2020 8:57 AM, Rick Whitman wrote:
> It's important to remember that there are at least several species. So
> while we may recall when the most common species comes out (whichever
> that is) we don't remember the secondary species. And populations of
> each species can vary a lot year to year. Our displays have always
> been poor compared to what you can see in the lower 2/3 of the US or
> the tropics.
> As laypeople, we tend to talk about "blackflies", "mosquitoes",
> "ladybeetles" or "fireflies" as if there was one species of each. This
> is pretty far from reality as we have a number, or many, species of
> each of these, as well as most other insects that we name generically.
> And, of course, with natural selection EACH species has its own unique
> life history and time of occurrence throughout the 6 or 8 decent months.
> Regards,
> Rick.
>
> On Fri, 5 Jun 2020 at 22:48, Patrick Kelly <Patrick.Kelly@dal.ca
> <mailto:Patrick.Kelly@dal.ca>> wrote:
>
> I was out around 10:30 PM last night... as I was looking for the
> Starlink satellites to pass overhead.... On my way down to the
> nearby cemetery, I saw two flashes from a firefly.... and now
> there are a few flashing in my backyard..... I have seen fireflies
> here in the past, and where I grew up in Spryfield, but only in
> August and and even then, only on really warm still nights.....
>
> Is it normal for them to be active at this time of the year?
>
> Pat
>
>
>
> Patrick Kelly
>
> 159 Town Road
>
> Falmouth NSB0P 1L0
>
> Canada
>
>
> (902) 472-2322
>
>
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<p>Hi Rick & All,</p>
<p> The fireless firefly Ellychnia corrusca is a beetle that
makes use of 8 months in some years. They are active in late
winter/early spring when sap runs from broken branches and Poplar
cankers start to ooze. Microclimate is an important determinant
of activity for many; especially slope, shelter from wind, degree
of shade and moisture content of soil. And some (e.g. Stoneflies)
seem to thrive when cold. So as usual it takes all kinds to make
this world. A passage in Classification of Insects 1954 sums it up
nicely; "...nor can any comprehension of the infinite variety of
nature be acquired except by close observational contact with the
things themselves."</p>
<p>YT, DW, Kentville<br>
</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 6/6/2020 8:57 AM, Rick Whitman
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:CAA9nSY-bpYXneduwRhGvO+NgRO7_-5d+7ss=_1imP=7HOLJEuQ@mail.gmail.com">
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<div dir="ltr">It's important to remember that there are at least
several species. So while we may recall when the most common
species comes out (whichever that is) we don't remember the
secondary species. And populations of each species can vary a
lot year to year. Our displays have always been poor compared to
what you can see in the lower 2/3 of the US or the tropics.
<div>As laypeople, we tend to talk about "blackflies",
"mosquitoes", "ladybeetles" or "fireflies" as if there was one
species of each. This is pretty far from reality as we have a
number, or many, species of each of these, as well as most
other insects that we name generically. And, of course, with
natural selection EACH species has its own unique life history
and time of occurrence throughout the 6 or 8 decent months.</div>
<div>Regards,</div>
<div>Rick.</div>
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, 5 Jun 2020 at 22:48,
Patrick Kelly <<a href="mailto:Patrick.Kelly@dal.ca"
moz-do-not-send="true">Patrick.Kelly@dal.ca</a>> wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px
0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-style:solid;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div style="word-wrap:break-word">
I was out around 10:30 PM last night... as I was looking for
the Starlink satellites to pass overhead.... On my way down
to the nearby cemetery, I saw two flashes from a firefly....
and now there are a few flashing in my backyard..... I have
seen fireflies here in the past, and where I grew up in
Spryfield, but only in August and and even then, only on
really warm still nights.....
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Is it normal for them to be active at this time of the
year?</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Pat</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
<div><span
style="border-collapse:separate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-east-asian:norm