[gary]

We have an observing property on the NSW mid coast.

Last night at 7:30pm, we were headed into town to have dinner.

As I shut the gate, I was both surprised and delighted to see the
brilliant glow of a hovering firefly.

First one, then two, then dozens and soon a hundred or more.

As they flew in the dark around me, they pulsed on and off with brilliant
pure white light at a rate of about once per second.

They were like tiny white LEDs and they drifted and flew about a metre
off the ground. The overall effect resembled a Christmas tree with lots
of randomly blinking lights.

They were truly wonderful.

One landed on my hand and I was able to examine it under the illumination
of a phone. A tiny elongated beetle.

I had seen fireflies (as distinct from glow worms) outside the Jenolan Caves
on one occasion many years ago and I had witnessed green glowing ones
at the Texas Star Party in the south of Texas, but it was the first time
I had seen them on the observing property.

Perhaps not coincidentally, they tended to be above areas where
it was impossible for me to slash the grass and vegetation, so these
areas had probably remained largely undisturbed for decades.

Googling reveals that though there are over 2000 species of fireflies
globally, there are only 25 known species in Australia. They are
typically associated with North America, Mexico and Japan.

One source suggested they only swarm for about three weeks a year
during the mating cycle.

I would be curious to know if other IceInSpace members have ever
observed them whilst out observing or at other times.