This month’s Outdoor Inspired is focused two things I’m loving in June: fireflies and garden harvests.
Geeking out on fireflies
Lightning bugs, fireflies, glowworms, or some other mash-up of words related to “light” and “insect”… what did you call these glowing critters as a child?
Whatever your preferred term, they are out and about for much of the East Coast!
For the consistency’s sake, I’ll be writing “firefly” in this newsletter but I tend to say “lightning bug” in my every day speech.
In my corner of VA, the light show starts each evening as I’m finishing up my garden work and enjoying the last few minutes of the cool summertime air. A few more moments outside before winding down for the night.
Watching these living lights float around the garden is the ultimate summer delight. They are the stars in the fields before the real stars appear in the sky; Floating lanterns glowing with nostalgia for us adults.
Get to know fireflies
Watching the fireflies has become a part of my evening routine and I recently found myself down a Google rabbit hole casually learning about them.
I can’t help but share a few quick facts:
First off, fireflies aren’t flies, they’re beetles belonging to the Lampyrida family. There are over 2000 firefly species in the world with over 165 species in the US and Canada (Xerces). We typically see the common eastern firefly (Photinus pyralis) in the US.
Lightning bugs love humid and warm environments and are most active on the East Coast during the summer months. While we may groan at the thought of warm, muggy evenings in the early summer, the lightning bugs absolutely love this type of weather — prime conditions for mating season, I guess!
Protecting firefly populations
Despite the wide swathe of ground that fireflies cover, firefly numbers are dwindling. The Washington Post noted that “Nearly 1 in 3 firefly species in the United States and Canada may be threatened with extinction” and populations across the world are plummeting, likely due to development and light pollution.
Disheartening, right? Now layer in just how harmless these beetles are. They do not bite, sting, or carry diseases. And they’re beneficial for your garden. All pros, no cons!
I’m not here to convince of you the firefly’s greatness, but you’d basically have to be cruel and heartless to dislike fireflies.
Feeling inspired to do something to help the firefly population? Firefly.org gives the following advice for helping the firefly populations in your backyard:
Turn off outside lights at night
Let logs and litter accumulate
Create water features in your landscape
Avoid use of pesticides, especially lawn chemicals
Use natural fertilizers
Don’t over-mow your lawn
Plant native trees
Do NOT introduce earthworms to your yard
Learn More
Ready to become a firefly expert? I’ve curated a list of interesting reads about fireflies so please geek out and enjoy:
Read about an ornithologist’s passion for studying fireflies
Identify more common garden insects (including beneficial and pests)
Explore Firefly Photography
Radim Schreiber is a full-time firefly photographer. He has exhibited his photos around the world and rightly so — his photos capture both memorizing firefly glows and stunning nighttime scenery:
What’s more impressive about Radim’s photography is that he only utilizes the basic editing tools — contrast and color adjustments — to produce these captivating images.
“I took all the photos of the fireflies on this website in their natural environment, without flash or any other artificial lighting. I believe that this is the only way to preserve its true luminosity and bioluminescent glow.” - Radim’s About Page
If you’re captivated by Radim’s photography, check out this short documentary about his work below and view his full selection of photos HERE
Give It a Shot
Inspired by Radim’s photos, I’ve been tinkering with my Sony the last few nights trying to capture lightning bugs in action. As I expected, I’ve had literally zero success, but I plan to keep trying while the lightning bugs are around (hopefully for a few more weeks).
If you’re interested in trying your hand at firefly / lightning bug photography, the season is short, so get out there now!
Here’s a photography tutorial to get started:
June in the Garden
Now that I’m garden-obsessed, I can’t help including gardening content in this nature-inspired art newsletter.
I’ll likely be including a garden section in this newsletter for the summer months. If you aren’t a fan, feel free to skip :)
Celebrating Heirloom Vegetables
The Rundown on Heirlooms
My garden is filled with heirloom tomatoes and peppers this year, mainly because I was enamored by the variations in colors, shapes, and sizes of fruit that the heirloom varieties offer when I was seed shopping in January.
But did I really know what an heirloom seed was? Nope. Do I feel like an idiot for not knowing this basic gardening term? Yep.
Because I recently did my homework on this term, I thought I’d share a quick definition here before digging into the following content.
Heirloom seeds are typically over 50 years old (some reference pre-WWII as a requisite). They’ve been open pollinated and the seeds have been passed down for generations producing fruit with the same predictable characteristics (unlike hybrid seeds which typically don’t product the same characteristics and are sometimes infertile)
These seeds have been preserved for good reason, often for a unique flavor profile or appearance or having withstood tough growing environments. Heirlooms seeds are recognized as boasting a rich genetic and cultural history. (All That Grows)
Heirloom Vegetable Art
She Grows Veg recently won big at the Chelsea Flower Show (one of the most famous flower shows in the world) with their display celebrating heirloom vegetables.
Check out their gold medal-winning display “Edimental – the beauty of vegetables'“ inspired by Renaissance paintings:
Owners Lucy Hutchings and Kate Cotterill said in a recent interview: "We want people to stop growing boring red tomatoes, let's go for those really colorful varieties that come from heirloom.”
Intrigued? Watch the She Grows Veg team build their award winning display and shop heirloom seeds from the She Grows Veg website.
One more thing: a Garden Art Substack recommendation
Lorene Edwards Forkner is a writer and maker who shares a weekly round up of color studies and observations on her Substack. I love seeing her garden inspired color studies in my inbox!
If you’re ready to add a splash of garden-themed color to your inbox, you can check out her writing HERE — be sure to subscribe!
A few last notes:
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Did I understand you correctly - the actual SEEDS are 50+ years old? Are they kept in some specific conditions?