Firefly nightlight [View all]

Do you remember catching fireflies in June and placing them in a jar with a perforated lid? My lids were made from aluminum foil which I'd carefully punctured with a fork. I usually placed some blades of grass in the jar for the fireflies to "eat." When I'd had my fill of capturing the beetles, the jar was placed atop the chest of drawers in my bedroom for the night. In the morning I released the beetles back into the wild.

I captured a firefly in the back yard tonight and placed it in the cut-glass globe of a light fixture. I placed the globe, open-end down, on a table and took some long-exposure (10 seconds maximum) photos. The firefly was captive for maybe 15 minutes and was released into the back yard, none the worse for wear. There was no need to keep the firefly overnight; I now have a photo that I can enjoy any time I like.

The blue light is from a digital stove clock.