Blue Ghost Fireflies

David Ostergaard holding a blue ghost firefly for a long exposure.

Walk in the woods of the Southern Appalachian Mountains as night in early spring and you may be lucky enough to spot tiny fairies carrying blue candles, gliding over the forest floor.  That's what blue ghost fireflies look like to the naked eye.  They are very rare and can only be found in the Southern Appalachian Mountains and in Texas, just North of Mexico.  They're small and shy, but if you're in the right place at the right time and are patient, you may be lucky enough to see a few.  Even smaller than their more common firefly cousins, they glow for long periods of time, sometimes up to a minute.  I went on a hike in Dupont Forest with David Ostergaard and Tina Herring.  David was quick enough to catch one and I photographed it in his hand.  They photographed green, but to my eye their light looked light blue.

Katie

Next fourth, skip the sparklers

What is required to have a good time on the 4th of July in America? Sparklers? Fireworks? A picnic? For me it took only my sister, my camera, a tripod and a mini Maglite. Rebecca and I decided to lay on the mountain by our house and watch the spectacle of little fireworks set off in our neighborhood. Our neighbors didn't disappoint. They seemed to be in competition and I set up my camera just to play around and get a few shots. Once the display was over, I decided to focus on the tree of lighting bugs behind us. There was a nice gate so I illuminated it with the mini Maglite Rebecca had brought along. Then I remembered seeing some long exposure shots where a photographer had run around with a flashlight creating some cool effects with streaks of light, so I decided to give it a go.

Rebecca saw the results and wanted to play at it herself. Generally, Rebecca hates to have her picture taken, but being a student of philosophy I asked; if you're invisible in the shot, is your picture actually being taken? I guess she decided not, because she and I took turns playing with the light. Who knew playing in an empty field at night with a flashlight could be so much fun? Next fourth, skip the sparklers and give your kids a flashlight.

Katie