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LoveMy7inch t1_j937x72 wrote

I remember them from my childhood, I miss them

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NecessaryCelery2 t1_j94iurq wrote

I remember bug splattered wind shields. Every night every street light surrounded by a cloud of bugs. Countless fireflies.

And I doubt we'll ever return to that world.

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willzyx01 t1_j93dstz wrote

There are no Fireflies anymore. Joel wiped them all out.

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Sphingidae1228 t1_j94gjj7 wrote

So yes, this is Lampyridae (fireflies), but this isn’t the one you think it is. It’s a Winter Firefly (Ellychnia corrusca) larva. They don’t light up as adults, and are sooooo much more common. Still very cool though!

I recommend checking the links below for more info about your friend.

Link 1 Link 2

If you’re curious about fireflies in general, Mass Audubon has a cool citizen science project here.

I am an entomologist, and I do a ton of field work around the state. Fireflies are around at a good number of my field sites. Cutler park in Dedham has quite a few at times.

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jcbouche OP t1_j94jvur wrote

Ah wow, this is simultaneously disappointing and very interesting. Thanks for bringing your expertise. I live close to Cutler Park, I’ll have to try going over there in the summer. Really want my daughter to see some

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verucaNaCI t1_j96zbvu wrote

The only time I ever recall seeing fireflies in my childhood was when I would go with my best friend to her uncle's house in Dedham, so that's really interesting!

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bigolebucket t1_j9392rx wrote

My wife and I were just talking about this. I feel like I never see them on the south shore. Growing up in western mass they were everywhere in the summers.

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jcbouche OP t1_j939h0s wrote

Yeah they were a big part of my childhood in the south. Would be great to see them make a comeback here

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cyclejones t1_j937wpq wrote

I still see them on the cape in the summer

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camwynya t1_j9379yw wrote

I habe't seen one since moving up here in 2012. Didn't think they lived in the area at all.

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dyqik t1_j937yge wrote

Summer of '22.

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spedmunki t1_j939g64 wrote

I’ve seen them in the Arboretum

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JackMickus t1_j93cl4m wrote

I'm fortunate enough to live near the Arboretum in JP and they're everywhere there.

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Therapistsfor200 t1_j938uxn wrote

I see them all the time— not in the winter tho

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jcbouche OP t1_j939dlg wrote

Are you close to the city or farther out?

This little guy was overwintering in my compost pile, hate that I disturbed him. Hopefully he’ll make it to adulthood

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michael_scarn_21 t1_j93dzfb wrote

Camped on the harbour islands last summer. Fireflies everywhere.

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chem_vixen t1_j93k98r wrote

We have tons of them here in the summer, but I live up in Westford.

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agu-g t1_j93kioy wrote

in my backyard in Quincy every summer

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Academic_Guava_4190 t1_j93eqxj wrote

I don’t ever remember fireflies up here. I used to visit the South regularly and they were everywhere down there. Last summer I saw a couple in my friend’s yard in Walpole and was surprised.

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debinthecove t1_j94nk8n wrote

Cool larva! I live in Dorchester and saw fireflies at the park near my house last summer (or maybe the summer before).

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conditioned_operant t1_j94zan2 wrote

Seen em in Middlesex Fells a couple years back. Just a few, but still felt like magic.

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cityofmonsters t1_j95h7rj wrote

Saw them at world’s end in hingham near sunset last summer and it was like, unbelievable. I hadn’t seen any in ages and thought they weren’t around anymore.

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bobmcrobber t1_j93ba9e wrote

I've seen them once or twice in Bellingham

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Lizhasausername t1_j93kd5u wrote

I’ve always wondered why there aren’t fireflies here! I grew up in Queens in an area of similar density/vegetation to much of Somerville, and we had fireflies every summer growing up but I’ve rarely seen them around Boston, except on the islands.

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anurodhp t1_j93ko2c wrote

I’ve seen them in brookline as recently as last year

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DarkPurpleHibiscus t1_j93rwx5 wrote

I see them once in awhile in my backyard in the summer

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cetaceanrainbow t1_j939dyu wrote

I've seen one or two in the burbs in the last couple years

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RogueInteger t1_j93as27 wrote

Every summer... but the less vegetation the fewer.

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twowrist t1_j93drt4 wrote

I’ve just started watching The Last of Us, and they showed Fireflies in Boston.

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becausefrog t1_j93ihla wrote

I've never seen them here in the city, but I have seen them in southern New Hampshire for the first time during the last 3 summers, and in the summer of 2019 Central Park in NYC was full of them.

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Gee10 t1_j955v6w wrote

As a kid in metrowest I remember them in summer, especially around raspberry bushes. Tons of them on the Cape and Islands nowadays.

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Dseltzer1212 t1_j95750m wrote

I see them all summer long on humid nights out in Holliston

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BfN_Turin t1_j95uyku wrote

Saw a bunch of them last year walking over BCs campus.

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MrRemoto t1_j94052v wrote

Saw some near the Braintree fireworks just before the pandemic. The tree line near the sports fields had a bunch.

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Cabadrin t1_j942hkw wrote

We see them in Quincy in the summer! Not a huge number but we see them in the backyard.

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boreas907 t1_j946srp wrote

California grown here; I've never seen a firefly in my life, didn't know there were supposed to be any around here but I've never seen one here either. Growing up I wasn't sure they were real.

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misschristiey t1_j94dlfg wrote

I saw them last summer in Brookline, not far from Coolidge corner. I’ve never seen them before in the city.

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Lurchie_ t1_j94kzxo wrote

I've seen them outside of Boston - at the cape and in central MA

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A_happy_otter t1_j97gmw9 wrote

Have seen them near the Arlington reservoir last summer, not very many though

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lalalinoleum t1_j97rlir wrote

I'm almost 45, and i have never seen them in Massachusetts. I have only seen them in a vacant lot in NYC.

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TwistingEarth t1_j99ky77 wrote

I think about five years ago near the zoo.

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