Flight of the Firefly

We did it! We caught a firefly! Okay, okay...technically Mr. Gober caught a firefly. He captured it in a glass jar so we could watch it light up.


However, the little guy refused to light up once he was in the jar, so I decided to let him out. Maybe he would light up if he was out of the jar... (He's walking on top of the glass table in the picture)

Suddenly, this didn't seem like such a good idea. He started flying around and finally landed on the wall.

Here's a close up of the firefly on the wall.


I decided it would be best if I put him back in the jar. You guys know how much I love touching insects...


I just felt bad for the little guy. He looked so stressed out,

so I went outside and let him go.

I thought I'd post a couple of links to some videos to give you the full effect. In the following video, the "After image effect" is a special effect they added to the film to show their flight pattern) Click here to see what fireflies look like at night. Click on the square with the four arrows pointing outward (at the bottom right corner of the video) to see it in full screen.

How about a daddy-longlegs instead?

I don't know what it was that I ate, but I was as sick as a dog yesterday and fell fast asleep way before it got dark. Tonight my friends, I'm bound and determined to catch a firefly.

I do have more news on critters, though. Apparently, daddy-longlegs like to spend time on my front door. I was closing the door behind me when I felt something touch my arm. Sure enough, it was a giant daddy-longlegs. I've heard that they're the most venomous of all spiders, but they can't hurt you because their fangs are too small. I shivered just now as I was typing. However, I looked it up and found out that this little guy is not what I thought he was. There really are daddy-longlegs spiders, but these are not considered spiders. Click here to find out the truth about these creatures.

It was the strangest thing...

Darkness had already settled in, and the only sounds that could be heard were the crickets and frogs in the distance. I was outside walking Bea when I noticed the strangest thing. It appeared that little sparks of light were flying about and then disappearing. Fairies, you ask? No. Fireflies. That's right, folks. Fireflies (a.k.a. lightning bugs) live in my neighborhood. Tomorrow night I plan to catch one and send a picture before I release it back into the wild. Tune in on Tuesday to see if I caught one.

WHAT? THERE ARE BUGS OUT THERE THAT LIGHT UP? Yes, my friends, bugs that light up actually exist. If you are curious about this fascinating creature, click on the links below to learn more.

National Geographic: Fireflies

Lights alive! Flashy Facts

Lights alive! Bioluminescence



I'll post the news of my hopefully successful firefly hunt tomorrow night. Wish me luck.

Energy

The painting is done, and the unpacking is mostly done. Now we just have to organize everything. Wow, moving is no joke. It's pretty exhausting.

However, Bea has enough energy for both of us. I take her for daily walks on her leash, and she loves the stairs. In fact, she's the master of stairs. Check out these two pictures. The second one was taken right after the first one. She can get up those stairs so fast!

Keep in mind that she was standing by my feet when the first picture was taken. Mr. Gober says we should enter her in sports contests for dogs.

Organisms

I live by a small lake, and there are organisms here, too. Can you see any in this picture?




How about a closer look...



Speaking of organisms, I hope all of the organism articles turned in were full of information and quality work. I can't wait to hear about them!

We made it to Georgia!

Ahhh. We're out of the cars, and partially settled in. The movers will get here on Friday with the rest of our things, and we'll get internet access in eight days (I'm on the internet at Barnes & Noble right now).

We stayed in Winnie, Texas the first night, and Montgomery, Alabama the second night.

QUESTION: How many miles did we drive on the second day? Hint: You will need to look at an online map to find the necessary information to solve this problem.

I hope you guys are having a great week! I miss you kiddos!

We're in Georgia! Having technical difficulties on phone. Will post from computer when I can get Internet access. I miss you guys!!!