This isn’t for you Yankees and other folks from warmer climes for whom catching fireflies or lightning bugs is a childhood tradition. This is for those from colder places who didn’t have that growing up.
They’re here! Up on Hemeishan a half hour ago and there were dozens of the little bastards. If it stays warm this weekend I expect there’ll be hundreds.
No matter how often I see them I never fail to be utterly enthralled by those magical little blinky-blinky-blinkies all around me in the dark.
Wonderful introduction to the warmer weather. I’m a happy happy man right now, all because of a few bloody beetles!
yea me too they fascinate me in a way I am embarrassed to admit. I have yet to see any at the bottom of yang ming shan but I will be hunting this weekend.
[quote=“sandman”]This isn’t for you Yankees and other folks from warmer climes for whom catching fireflies or lightning bugs is a childhood tradition. This is for those from colder places who didn’t have that growing up.
They’re here! Up on Hemeishan a half hour ago and there were dozens of the little bastards. If it stays warm this weekend I expect there’ll be hundreds.
No matter how often I see them I never fail to be utterly enthralled by those magical little blinky-blinky-blinkies all around me in the dark.
Wonderful introduction to the warmer weather. I’m a happy happy man right now, all because of a few bloody beetles![/quote]
Damn, Sandman, fatherhood seems to have turned you into a woman. 
Taipei weather. Winter to Summer in 24 hours. What happened to Spring?
there is no spring. Boing!
I love fireflies too, coming from dry as dust Australia where there are none. I have been keeping an eye peeled on the ride home, but have yet to see any. Next week…
I get excited about those weird pastel red insects this time of year. The ones that colonize spots in groups and cannibalize their fallen comrades. We had fireflies but not those, pretty weird and harmless little guys, anybody know what they are?
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On Thursday, riders on the Xindian R. bikepath had full winter gear on, face masks, tights, etc.
=Winter
On Friday, riders going downhill from Yangmingsan N.P. were in short sleeve jerseys and shorts.
= Summer
Boing!! is right!
Saw one of these on the hillside yesterday:
Are you talking about boxelder bugs? We used to get colonies of them hanging out on the side of a tree. Harmless, yes, but not as exciting as fireflies or as interesting as what’s in Poagao’s pic.
Looks like a type of weevil, don’t think I"ve seen that one although I"ve seen a lot of weird bugs here. I once saw a bug here that vibrates it wings so fast they become practically invisible, it looks like empty space because the wings are transparent and long and move so quickly and it had a very elongated thin body, a mode of camoflauge I’ve never seen described used by an insect before anywhere else.
Neiwan in Xinchu is really an amazing place to see fireflies…it gets real crowded on weekends though.
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[quote=“zender”]
Are you talking about boxelder bugs? We used to get colonies of them hanging out on the side of a tree. Harmless, yes, but not as exciting as fireflies or as interesting as what’s in Poagao’s pic.[/quote]
I believe I am. Funny they seem to be common in the states, I don’t recall ever seeing any in the nyc area though. True, not as exciting as fireflies–except I had fireflies on my front lawn every night in summer as a kid and can’t get too excited over them–and definitely not as Poagao’s there!
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[quote=“sandman”]They’re here! Up on Hemeishan a half hour ago and there were dozens of the little bastards. If it stays warm this weekend I expect there’ll be hundreds.
No matter how often I see them I never fail to be utterly enthralled by those magical little blinky-blinky-blinkies all around me in the dark.
Wonderful introduction to the warmer weather. I’m a happy happy man right now, all because of a few bloody beetles![/quote]
I just got back from Firefly Festival in Hemeishan. Amazingly, there were hundreds of fireflies, but there were hundreds vistors as well. Even though it was too crowded, overall, it was a good event.
Many Xindianians voluntarily gave guidance to visitors. I could see those educational explaination worked as some young kids stopped their parents from wrong doings. Hemeishan now is a good spot for firefly seeing with easy access, but it would be better to get there during weekdays.
You can also see fireflies in Wulai - go to cable car ticket counter and buy one for a guided tour, includes dinner at one of the restaurants up there. I think the tour starts at 7pm and the dinner can be taken around 6-6:30, they have some meals to choose from.
Bump, because its that time of year again. The organization that does ecology work on Hemeishan put me on their mailing list. Here’s some very recent photos – note that where these were taken is no more than a 15-minute walk from the Xindian MRT station!
Neiwan in Xinzhu is a great place to catch fireflies in a beautiful setting…but it can get crowded too.
I love this time of year - summer is coming and all sorts of creatures start coming out, like snakes, assorted beetles and alike.
If you have a few hundred fireflies in front of you and a powerful flashlight, try turning it on and off about twice a second. Sometimes they start to flash in unison with you. If they do, it’s an amazing sight!
I’ve never managed to do it in Taiwan, but I can often get individual fireflies to flash in time with me.
[quote=“sandman”]Bump, because its that time of year again. The organization that does ecology work on Hemeishan put me on their mailing list. Here’s some very recent photos – note that where these were taken is no more than a 15-minute walk from the Xindian MRT station!
[/quote]
Great pics, sandman. Did you take them? If so, what settings did you use? My firefly pics always come out either too dark or too exposed, or out of focus because these bugs don’t sit still!
[quote=“Super Hans”]
If you have a few hundred fireflies in front of you and a powerful flashlight, try turning it on and off about twice a second. Sometimes they start to flash in unison with you. If they do, it’s an amazing sight!
I’ve never managed to do it in Taiwan, but I can often get individual fireflies to flash in time with me.[/quote]
I have seen a little of that effect when riding home about 8 pm along a dark road several times over the years. Bright blinky headlight seems to trap some of them into my rhythm. Very cool.
Not enough fireflies here in Oki, but there are some.
Fireflies are back !
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Box elder bugs! Well I never. I’ve seen both stages of their life cycle here for years but never in the same place and so never realised they were the same bug.
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