We have lightning bugs coming out the wazoo. I never really thought of places NOT having them! I loved catching them when I was smaller, but one time twenty or so escaped from their temporary container and flew all over my room. It was terrifying.

They're sort of a hazard now that I'm riding instead of running. There are places where I'd LOVE to open my mouth and gasp for precious air, but if I do, I'll choke on a few dozen of them. They're especially heavy around the fields, which makes sense. Oh, and about their two names--around here, it depends on how lazy we're feeling. "Firefly" is much easier to say when you're tired. I think "Lightning Bug" uses more muscles.

There's one incident I still haven't figured out. My friend and I were running on a back road last year, somewhere between a corn field and an Amish church, and there was section of the road, maybe about four feet in length, that was COVERED in fireflies. Absolutely packed with them. We felt terrible running over them, but there was no way around and it was impossible to pick through them because they covered the ground so densely. They were all lit up, even though it wasn't dark. I thought it was some freaky mating ritual, but according to Discovery, they fly around at night, flashing their fancy lights, hoping to attract a mate and maybe a snack. I've never heard anything about laying around in massive groups before sunset.

Has anyone else ever seen anything like that? I'd love to know what they were doing.