[at-l] They ain't lightnin' bugs...

[Arthur Gaudet]

I've only seen similar bugs on one occasion, at William Brien Shelter on the AT
in Harriman SP:
(it was also the day I met Seiko, he occasionally helps out at Kincora in TN)

June 11, 2000
"Big rain storm today, along with a dark, greenish sky. I seriously thought we
were in for a tornado. Glad to be in a rock shelter, although I left my tent up
and it was fine. Seiko abandoned his tent in case any branches came down. After
dark walked around between showers and noticed glow-worms partially emerged from
holes in the ground. Weird." 

As I remember it looked to be about 1/4 inch long, larger in diameter at the
glowing end than the other. The multiple legs tried to hold it in the ground
when I pulled one out.

And I have seen glowing fungus on rotted wood in Crawford Notch, near the AT.
Another example of bioluminescence.

--RockDancer

-----Original Message-----
From: at-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:at-l-bounces at backcountry.net] On
Behalf Of Felix J
Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2007 2:51 PM
Cc: at-l at backcountry.net
Subject: [at-l] They ain't lightnin' bugs...

Janie wrote:

>Hey Felix,
>
>Down here in Georgia we call the lightning bugs, however we sorta drop the "g"
and say lightnin bugs. 
>

Don't you folx know I'm old enuff to know what a lightnin' bug/firefly 
is?   These things were wingless bugs, not really worm-ish, more like 
dodecoped (is that a 12-legged thing??). So...they are about 3/16th of an inch
long...wider at the head with a body shaped like an arrowhead...the tip of the
tail glows...doesn't 'flash' like a lightning bug...they crawl on the ground in
leaves along the banks of a stream.