I prefer to call them lightning bugs...

[gilathief]

Interesting firefly facts.

An article from a favorite former professor of mine on the same...

I don’t like to call them fireflies, though. The name sounds too “poetic” to my ears, mildly pretentious. “Lightning bugs” sounds homey, basic. They are, after all, bugs, a type of beetle. I like them, sure, and I can’t imagine what summer would be like

Comments

[word_herder]

Having recently become enamored with a certain TV series, I've changed my preference to "firefly." But pre-TV series, I always called them "lightning bugs."

(Did you know they don't have them in California? I read this on someone's blog--she went to DC and was astounded by them. She'd NEVER seen one before!)

[gilathief]

Wow! Really, I had never thought of that, I just read about someone living in Houston who said they don't have them either though, so I shouldn't be surprised...

[word_herder]

I feel sorry for them. I mean, what do their kids do for nightlights? :)

[gilathief]

Exactly!