Panhandle Plantings
Master Gardening
by Val Ford, Holmes County Master Gardener
An odd title for an article . . . especially since asparagus have no luminescent qualities to speak of. Perhaps -- but this is where I want to take you into a different realm of gardening -- what we think of as the province of children -- a world of fantasy and imagination. I’m not going to ask you to dwell there for any long period -- just peek through the door -- share the little spark it touches in that dark corner of your mind -- and then follow the path it illumines to somewhere you would never have “free associated” with in real life. Ready?
This particular morning was relatively crisp and cool -- for August anyway. It was still dark, so I was paying better than ordinary attention to what was around me, trying to avoid the pitfalls of holes, heavy roots and a large black dog that thought this was a wonderful time for a game of “chicken.” I opened the gate to the vegetable garden and stopped. The asparagus bed was blinking. Tiny white lights -- off and on -- fluttering up and down -- to and fro amongst the feathery asparagus ferns. It was as if I’d stumbled onto a secret fairyland that disappears when the human world arises. In some sense this is exactly what I’d done . . .
What I was witnessing was the mating ‘”dance” of lightning bugs, or fireflies, if you prefer. Different species of lightning bugs flash in different rhythms and patterns. This is how the 23 genera and 200 species tell themselves apart. What’s universal is that the males are the ones flying and flashing (about once every five seconds). Tthe females are stationary, perched on vegetation close to the ground (flashing every 2 seconds).
Just what is a lightning bug? It’s actually a luminescent beetle that lives in areas of rotting wood, forest litter and on the edges of streams and ponds (guess they found lightning bug Nirvana in the leaf mulch on the asparagus bed!). The flashing lights we see at night are the result of a chemical reaction in the tail region (a science lecture I won’t get into here). Someone was curious enough to measure the amount of light given off by a firefly tail – somewhere around 1/40th candlepower, just in case you ever need the information. The larvae feed on earthworms, snails and slugs; often following the slime trails toward their target and then injecting the larger-than-lightning-bug-sized prey with an anesthetizing fluid. Adult lightning bugs are kinder and gentler souls, feeding on plant nectar.
Photinus pyralis is the most common lightning bug in the United States. Just for the fun of it, here are some descriptive names, and their translations, of other lightning bug genera (never let it be said that entomologists aren’t creative and have no sense of humor): lamprocera – brilliant and wax colored, microphotus – small light, macrolampis – big light, microdiphot – small paired lights, pyrogaster – fire stomach, and my favorite pyropyga – fire rump/butt.
OK – if the romantic in you loves the firefly for its enchanted evening performance, and the practical gardener in you appreciates the work this little beetle does minimizing slugs and snails, as well as breaking down organic matter into the soil , you want to have them around – yes? So what do you do to create an attractive and hospitable lightning bug environment?
First, eliminate the lawn and garden chemicals. These not only directly kill firefly adults, but also the accumulation of long-lived pesticides in earthworms and snails passes along a very concentrated and lethal dosage to larvae feeding on them. Mosquito control (misting) kills more adult lightning bugs than any other pesticide. Second, reduce extra lighting. Fireflies determine when (or if) to flash by the intensity of the ambient light in the area. Outdoor lighting interferes with this decision-making process. After all, why go to the trouble of flashing if no one can see it because of the “neighbors’”’ porch light? Third, provide low overhanging trees and tall grasses or vegetation. These areas provide adult lightning bugs a place to rest and stay cool during the daylight hours. Likewise, leaf litter and similar areas are great larval habitat.
It’s said that the fairies’ treatment of the human world is somewhat dependent on our treatment of beetles. The legend has it that should you stamp on or kill a beetle (of any sort), the fairies will be angered and visit you with bad luck and seven days of soaking rains. Conversely, when the fairies are happy, they predict fine weather by releasing nocturnal flying beetles – any guesses what these may be?
Val Ford is a Holmes County Master Gardener. If you have a gardening question or problem, contact your local Extension Office or e-mail Val at FLSnowflake7592@aol.com
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