Last night I witnessed something magical that is apparently
quite a rare phenomenon: Blue Ghost Fireflies.
I’d been visiting at a friend’s home in North Carolina. Ken owns
about 40 or so acres that border the South Toe River, you might say in the
shadow of Mount Mitchell. Every once in a while, Ken hosts a little potluck
dinner around the campfire. We enjoy good food and great company, and last
night was a fairly typical night.
After dinner, my cousin Sally, new friend Kay, and beloved
adventure-dog Henry took a walk down to the river. It was a little more
exercise than I’d bargained for, although I’m not sore today and it was surely
good for me! It was also a little more than Henry had bargained for, because he
is sore today – but very, very happy!
After we returned from the walk, the party dwindled down to six
humans and one dog. It was so peaceful up there, just sitting around enjoying
quiet conversation. No one seemed to want to leave, but all good things must
come to an end, and we tidied up and started packing things out to our cars. We
walked out in darkness, gradually becoming aware of a sort of blue-white
glowing in the rough clearing off to our left.
“What is this?!” we kept asking each other. They didn’t seem to
be fireflies – or lightning bugs, as some of us call them – because they weren’t
“winking” on and off. Plus, lightning bugs usually hang out in the trees, and
these were hovering close to the ground. Finally, Ken recalled hearing of “blue
ghosts” and we realized that, whatever blue ghosts might be, these were
probably blue ghosts, because they certainly gave off a ghost-like, eerie glow.
We watched, mesmerized, for a while. They moved and hovered in complete, spooky silence. I thought to grab a little
video from my cell phone, with absolutely no success. This is just one of those
special moments in time that will be preserved only by my memory.
Returning home, a quick google search revealed this article,
which not only explains the science behind “blue ghosts” but also gives some
valuable tips for trying to experience this phenomenon for yourself. Which I
highly recommend. https://curiosity.com/topics/rare-blue-ghost-fireflies-only-glow-in-one-part-of-north-america-curiosity/
Atlas Obscura, always informative and entertaining, posted
this article: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/blue-ghost-fireflies
Apparently, local legend has it
that the blue fireflies are the ghosts of Confederate soldiers – although it was pointed out that since the fireflies are blue, it would make more sense if they
were the ghosts of Union soldiers. Now, you can believe or not, as you will …
but isn’t it interesting that these things are active around Memorial Day,
which originated in the years just after the Civil War?
