Last Generation to See Fireflies?

 

Post from Garden Tips and Tricks 

It was late night in a remote barrio of Baggao, Cagayan, when we were on our way home from showing the JESUS film when I saw the most spectacular firefly display.

As the jeepney sped (the place was still an insurgency hotspot), we passed by a glowing tree in the middle of almost complete darkness. The entire tree was lit by thousands of fireflies. It was like looking at a giant greenish neon light bulb.

There is a tree beside the bridge in our barangay which had a lot of fireflies also, although not nearly as numerous as the one I saw in Baggao. It seems that the fireflies there too are gone. Might be because of the flood control/river dike that was constructed along the Kamanitohan river a few years ago.

The other night, while talking to our neighbor outside our house, she pointed at a solitary firefly. I hardly noticed it. I rarely see these amazing creatures now.

This post reminds me to keep native plants around and resist the urge of creating a completely manicured lawn.