Each summer in late June it is a tradition for my family to visit a special area where we know fireflies exist.
Fireflies are native to eastern Colorado, but not very abundant. They usually are found in wet areas, near lakes or ponds or cattail marshes. Our special spot is a grassy meadow next to a pond with dense cattails along its edges. This summer my 10 year old and I went down to the firefly spot on an extremely dark night.
We sat in the meadow quietly, just observing the spectacular display of lights twinkling on and off all around us. It was such a dark night that the fireflies almost seemed to blend into the stars overhead.
I recently came across a quote by Thoreau that reminds me of that night:
'Humility, like darkness, reveals the heavenly lights'