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but only in August and and even then, o --_000_2739681BE4A44FBE972807462FA599C5dalca_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable It might be of further interest to the several commentators on fireflies th= at there=92s a fairly recent, sturdy, compact, well-illustrated book =93Fir= eflies, Glow-worms and Lightning Bugs=94 by Lynn Frierson Faust (2017, Uni= v Geogia Press, ISBN 978-0-8203-4872-8, paperback, 356 pages). 2000 specie= s world wide, 125+ in N America. A =91dark' or =91black' firefly (sounds o= xymoronic) referred to earlier actually means that the beetle is in the sam= e taxonomic/ phylogenetic group as others which are true flashers, but it i= tself doesn=92t produce any light. Nice birthday present book to dip into,= which is how I received it =97 Amazon lists it for Cdn$43. Range/date info is given in the book for each species covered, but the book= is not organized this way to allow you to narrow species down. Flasher P= hoturis fairchildi (species named for A.G. Bell=92s entomologist grandson, = and part of the P. versicolor complex) is found in Maritimes including NS i= n June and preys upon flasher Pyractomena borealis, which starts to fly in = NS even earlier in the year. One or other might be Pat=92s species, but no= guarantee at all: we could use the expert local views of e.g. Chris Majka = or Andrew Hebda, but I=92m not sure that either still subscribes to NatureN= S. Steve ------------------------------------------------------ On Jun 6, 2020, at 2:53 PM, Patrick Kelly <Patrick.Kelly@Dal.Ca<mailto:Patr= ick.Kelly@Dal.Ca>> wrote: A good point! I think what I should have noted was that as an amateur astronomer, I spend= a fair bit of time outside in the dark for most of the year. Having spent = 30 years at this location, I have never seem any fireflies in June, late Ju= ly being the earliest. If we do have a species that is an "early bird", the= y must be having a great year! Pat On Jun 6, 2020, at 9:03 AM, Rick Whitman wrote: CAUTION: The Sender of this email is not from within Dalhousie. It's important to remember that there are at least several species. So whil= e 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 ca= n vary a lot year to year. Our displays have always been poor compared to w= hat you can see in the lower 2/3 of the US or the tropics. As laypeople, we tend to talk about "blackflies", "mosquitoes", "ladybeetle= s" or "fireflies" as if there was one species of each. This is pretty far f= rom 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 natur= al selection EACH species has its own unique life history and time of occur= rence throughout the 6 or 8 decent months. Regards, Rick. On Fri, 5 Jun 2020 at 22:48, Patrick Kelly <Patrick.Kelly@dal.ca<mailto:Pat= rick.Kelly@dal.ca>> wrote: I was out around 10:30 PM last night... as I was looking for the Starlink s= atellites 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 back= yard..... I have seen fireflies here in the past, and where I grew up in Sp= ryfield, but only in August and and even then, only on really warm still ni= ghts..... Is it normal for them to be active at this time of the year? Pat Patrick Kelly 159 Town Road Falmouth NS B0P 1L0 Canada (902) 472-2322 Patrick Kelly 159 Town Road Falmouth NS B0P 1L0 Canada (902) 472-2322 --_000_2739681BE4A44FBE972807462FA599C5dalca_ Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-ID: <BF411933E748854F8E53D764F7C42256@CANPRD01.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html> <head> <meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3DWindows-1= 252"> </head> <body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-lin= e-break: after-white-space;"> It might be of further interest to the several commentators on fireflies th= at there=92s a fairly recent, sturdy, compact, well-illustrated book =93Fir= eflies, Glow-worms and Lightning Bugs=94 by Lynn Frierson Faust (2017= , Univ Geogia Press, ISBN 978-0-8203-4872-8, paperback, 356 pages). 2000 species world wide, 125+ in N Americ= a. A =91dark' or =91black' firefly (sounds oxymoronic) referred to ea= rlier actually means that the beetle is in the same taxonomic/ phylogenetic= group as others which are true flashers, but it itself doesn=92t produce any light. Nice birthday present book to dip into,= which is how I received it =97 Amazon lists it for Cdn$43. <div><br> <div>Range/date info is given in the book for each species covered, but the= book is not organized this way to allow you to narrow species down. = Flasher Photuris fairchildi (species named for A.G. Bell=92s entomologist = grandson, and part of the P. versicolor complex) is found in Maritimes including NS in June and preys upon flasher= Pyractomena borealis, which starts to fly in NS even earlier in the year. = One or other might be Pat=92s species, but no guarantee at all: we co= uld use the expert local views of e.g. Chris Majka or Andrew Hebda, but I=92m not sure that either still subscrib= es to NatureNS.</div> <div>Steve<br> ------------------------------------------------------<br> <div> <div>On Jun 6, 2020, at 2:53 PM, Patrick Kelly <<a href=3D"mailto:Patric= k.Kelly@Dal.Ca">Patrick.Kelly@Dal.Ca</a>> wrote:</div> <blockquote type=3D"cite"> <div style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line= -break: after-white-space; "> A good point! <div><br> </div> <div>I think what I should have noted was that as an amateur astronomer, I = spend a fair bit of time outside in the dark for most of the year. Having s= pent 30 years at this location, I have never seem any fireflies in June, la= te July being the earliest. If we do have a species that is an "early bird", they must be having a= great year! </div> <div><br> </div> <div>Pat</div> <div><br> </div> <div><br> <div> <div>On Jun 6, 2020, at 9:03 AM, Rick Whitman wrote:&l