Blue Ghost Fireflies

A neighbor told me about a very cool event that happens annually in the Carolina mountains, the annual mating of the Blue Ghost Fireflies.

These little fireflies are different from the rest because they emit a blue light and remain illuminated for extended periods as the males attempt to attract the flightless females.

It's phenomenally challenging to capture them on cameras because their glow is so dim.This is the best I could do under the circumstances of the pitch black forest. After tons of de-noise filters and then more de-noise, I found a usable image.

A special thanks to Tom Moors for lending me his Sony A7r. I learned the hard lesson that I need to double check my camera to ensure that all of my equipment works as I anticipated. In this case, I knew that my cell phone would act as a remote trigger, but I made the rookie mistake of thinking that it would manage all functions including triggering a bulb exposure. Mind you, it does do this, but only after updating the firmware and software on the camera.

Anyway, I was able to retrieve an image at least good enough to remind me of the moment I met these little critters. I wanted something better, but they'll be back next year, and so shall I.

#BlueGhost #Fireflies #Carolina #Mountains #Insect #Phausisreticulata #ferns