Spotting fireflies in D.C.

Good morning, DMV! It’s Tuesday, July 21.

One of my favorite things in the summer: fireflies.

Last week, someone messaged me about firefly walks in D.C. So last night, my family and I decided to take our evening stroll at Malcolm X Park (also known as Meridian Hill Park) to spot and learn about fireflies.

We met just before sunset at the statue of Joan of Arc in the park. A dry, comfortable breeze swept through the park, a half moon above us. About a dozen people, mostly from the neighborhood, joined volunteers Lu Fernández and Peri Munter for their firefly walk.

Lu, who calls herself a bug nerd, said she spends a lot of time in the park and frequently sees fireflies. So she and some neighbors decided to organize a fun outing to meet people in the community and collect data for the Firefly Atlas, a collaborative effort to track and conserve fireflies in North America.

We started with introductions and our firefly memories. Some people, myself included, grew up with fireflies in places including the Midwest and South Carolina. Others had never seen them until they were adults.

Then at dusk — about 8:45 p.m. — we spotted our first flashes of the night. Lu brought her notes on the attributes of various fireflies in D.C. The ones we spotted flashed briefly and flew in tiny J-shaped swoops while lit. She identified it as the common eastern firefly — also known as the big dipper firefly.

Peri, who was logging our count and pinpointing each sighting on a map on her phone, told me we saw 15 individual fireflies over about 45 minutes.

I’ve tried unsuccessfully to take pictures of fireflies in my yard, where most summer nights we see dozens of fireflies that flash much longer and fly in a slow up-and-down pattern a few feet off the ground.

We spotted far fewer in the park. Their flashes are so fleeting, I didn’t try to capture them on my phone camera. Here are my nighttime shots.

It was my first time visiting Malcolm X Park. I loved it. I also got to see (and hear!) the restored cascading fountain. It was impressive and calming.

Lu and Peri will host another firefly walk tomorrow 8:15 to 9:30 p.m. in Mount Pleasant, starting at Lamont Plaza. They are also helping to organize the first Mount Pleasant Pollinator Fest to celebrate flowers, bees and community — with music, art, bee demos, honey tastings and more — on Sunday, August 23. Follow them on Instagram for details and updates.

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Karaoke Therapy this evening at Busboys and Poets in Takoma D.C.

From Miriam Struck, 72, of Silver Spring, Maryland: “I went to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens for the Lotus Festival on a smoky day. The smoke did not diminish the beauty of the lotus. The bee obligingly allowed me to photograph it.”

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