Catching fireflies

I remember being a little girl and loving the summertime. I was always barefoot even though we had a gravel driveway. We loved playing in our huge yard, and I fondly remember trying to catch fireflies. Tonight, Evan and I did just that: we were barefoot, playing in the yard, and catching fireflies.

Evan had never caught a firefly before so I had to show him "my technique." We started at dusk so it was easy to see their bodies flying around. We did the "stalk and scoop them up" maneuver and quickly captured two. Evan then wanted to try. He was the scooper, and I was in charge of the lid. As a pair, we captured EIGHT fireflies for his jar.

I am not sure that giddy would adequately describe Evan's reaction to catching the fireflies because he was even beyond that. Maybe ecstatic is better. He was literally squealing with delight and begging me to find more. Here he is showing his new jar of insects.

As it got darker, our quest for fireflies became like an unfair game of Marco Polo. The fireflies would say Marco by shining their lights. Evan and I would scurry in that direction. (Polo!) By the time we got to the area, we saw the firefly's light elsewhere beckoning "Marco!" So, it continued.

What fun we had. It was a great hour to spend with Evan. We did let our fireflies free for the night, but we are keeping the jars handy for future hunting! There is plenty of summer left.