My principal workplace is pretty marshy, a small tributary of the mighty Hudson flows through it, and expands into a pond. There is a low-lying reedy area where the tributary meets the great river. Yeah, it's pretty much a marsh.
My main reason for this preamble is to establish that we have frogs and bugs in profusion. Early July is the mating season for the bullfrogs and fireflies onsite, so observable mating rituals are a feature of every night. The Fourth, with its loud pyrotechnic display, must play hob for these poor critters. Some poor bullfrog is crooning his heart out, hoping to attract a sexy lady frog, and the booms of the fireworks drown out his love song. Some poor firefly is blinking his ass off while the potential love of his life flies off toward a distant starburst.
The Fourth of July is one big zoological cock-block!
Showing posts sorted by date for query fireflies. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query fireflies. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Sunday, July 5, 2020
Saturday, June 23, 2012
It's a Beautiful Planet
It's a bug planet! Summer's a funny season... in the first three days, we've had temps pushing one hundred degrees Fahrenheit (about 38 Celsius) and a torrential pop-up thunderstorm (of course, it occurred while I was driving to work). To make the situation even more cheery, the Aedes albopictus mosquito has finally reached the New York metro area. Yeah, summer!
Of course, there's the upside- I have been enjoying nature's bounty lately- the mulberries have been plentiful, and I made a great, big portion of stuffed wild grape leaves that have been tiding me over for the past couple of days. On the super hot days, I decided to forgo cooking and quickly ran the food processor to make hummus and a sardine/tahini puree adapted from Claudia Roden's classic A Book of Middle Eastern Food. The wild raspberries should be ripe within a week or two, and the purslane's finally beginning to make an appearance. Next week, I plan on putting up a super-geeky purslane post, which may go to some lengths to explain why the stuff takes over in the summer. The fireflies are also out in full force, both the beloved typical ones and the jittery, quick-flashing ones that resemble a tiny camera flash going off.
Yeah, the first three days of summer have been a microcosm of the season, a couple of total sweatloaf days, a violent storm, and some genuinely top-notch moments. I can live with this for the next couple of months.
Of course, there's the upside- I have been enjoying nature's bounty lately- the mulberries have been plentiful, and I made a great, big portion of stuffed wild grape leaves that have been tiding me over for the past couple of days. On the super hot days, I decided to forgo cooking and quickly ran the food processor to make hummus and a sardine/tahini puree adapted from Claudia Roden's classic A Book of Middle Eastern Food. The wild raspberries should be ripe within a week or two, and the purslane's finally beginning to make an appearance. Next week, I plan on putting up a super-geeky purslane post, which may go to some lengths to explain why the stuff takes over in the summer. The fireflies are also out in full force, both the beloved typical ones and the jittery, quick-flashing ones that resemble a tiny camera flash going off.
Yeah, the first three days of summer have been a microcosm of the season, a couple of total sweatloaf days, a violent storm, and some genuinely top-notch moments. I can live with this for the next couple of months.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Gloaming
I often describe one of my jobs as "very cushy, except when it's not"- today has been the perfect exemplar of my little conundrum. My department is very small, so the slightest irregularity in scheduling can play hob with my circadian rhythms. I had to work "split" shifts today- both the midnight to eight A.M., and the four P.M to midnight. I watched the sun rise at 5:22, and watched it set at 8:30. In a cruel caprice of fortune, I had to address some issues midday with another job when I should have been ironing my ears. That being said, the schedule is a killer, but the actual workday has been wonderful.
This morning, I saw a thrilling little drama play out, as two mockingbirds mobbed a crow unrelentingly- at one point, they were joined by a red-winged blackbird, and the little passerines drove the crow across an open area, where it flushed a half dozen noisy killdeer out of hiding. The barn swallows were engaging in their marvellous aerobatics, and a catbird, looking quite saucy in its jaunty black cap, gave me a good-natured scolding.
This evening, as the sun lowered in the west, I sat outside to watch my beloved bats take over the aerobatic show as the swallows called it a day. The killdeer were still piping in the twilight, as multitudes of fireflies rose from the tall grass, looking like embers rising from a bonfire. In a low-lying area, where my favorite nettle patch gives way to cattails, another variety of firefly- a quicker, more nervous variety, with a rapid display reminiscent of a camera flash in color and duration- could be seen. These fireflies aren't easily caught and, by frequenting nettle patches and marshes, would pose all sorts of perils to any child dauntless enough to attempt such a capture.
I love the transition from day to night, and the changing of the faunal guard, so this tiny bit of doggerel I wrote years back is a lie, a bit of poetic license in service of a silly muse, too undignified to be numbered among the Nine:
Crepuscular critters
Give me the jitters.
With almost two hours of work to go, I'm tired, but my mood is good (in fact, I feel as jaunty as a catbird). In honor of the fireflies, here's a song which came to mind, even though it expresses a mood which is completely at odds with how I feel:
WARNING: Before you watch the video, please be warned that the song may turn you gay. Also, check out the video for Ennio Morricone's The Ecstasy of Gold at the link- pure bliss!
Postscript: I could have substituted a "T" for the "M" in the title, now that I re-read the post.
This morning, I saw a thrilling little drama play out, as two mockingbirds mobbed a crow unrelentingly- at one point, they were joined by a red-winged blackbird, and the little passerines drove the crow across an open area, where it flushed a half dozen noisy killdeer out of hiding. The barn swallows were engaging in their marvellous aerobatics, and a catbird, looking quite saucy in its jaunty black cap, gave me a good-natured scolding.
This evening, as the sun lowered in the west, I sat outside to watch my beloved bats take over the aerobatic show as the swallows called it a day. The killdeer were still piping in the twilight, as multitudes of fireflies rose from the tall grass, looking like embers rising from a bonfire. In a low-lying area, where my favorite nettle patch gives way to cattails, another variety of firefly- a quicker, more nervous variety, with a rapid display reminiscent of a camera flash in color and duration- could be seen. These fireflies aren't easily caught and, by frequenting nettle patches and marshes, would pose all sorts of perils to any child dauntless enough to attempt such a capture.
I love the transition from day to night, and the changing of the faunal guard, so this tiny bit of doggerel I wrote years back is a lie, a bit of poetic license in service of a silly muse, too undignified to be numbered among the Nine:
Crepuscular critters
Give me the jitters.
With almost two hours of work to go, I'm tired, but my mood is good (in fact, I feel as jaunty as a catbird). In honor of the fireflies, here's a song which came to mind, even though it expresses a mood which is completely at odds with how I feel:
WARNING: Before you watch the video, please be warned that the song may turn you gay. Also, check out the video for Ennio Morricone's The Ecstasy of Gold at the link- pure bliss!
Postscript: I could have substituted a "T" for the "M" in the title, now that I re-read the post.
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