The First Fireflies
Itâs a warm night, and Iâm typing this on my trusty little Acer out on the deck. We have new deck furniture this year, inexpensive and sorely needed. The deck itself needs attention, but I try not to focus on that overly. Time for that when I can pay for it.
Still no news on the job front, but I remain hopeful. USDA will get back to me one way or the other, and I cannot believe I wonât rate at least an interview. They tried too hard to gain me back in 2005; I have to believe that with the shortage of veterinarians interested in government work they would remain interested in someone with my credentials. I both hope and fear that my period of unemployment will soon come to an end.
None of this matters tonight. The Prof spotted the first of the seasonâs fireflies two nights ago, and Iâm on the deck watching for more tonight while I sip a Magners and alternate between composing an entry and reading a book. The first June bug of the season collided with my neck a few moments ago, and Iâm afraid I laughed out loud watching him bounce to the table, landing on his back and waving his feet in the air. Iâve loved June bugs since I was a kid, but Iâve never quite trusted them since vet school. Learning about Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus can make one somewhat suspicious of June bugs.
The crickets are out. The fireflies are out. The June bugs are bouncing off the deck light. Spring and early summer seem to be defined right now by the arthropods that first make their appearance. I donât know if that speaks of me, or of the season, that Iâve focused on that.
Late last summer I saw hummingbirds dart by from my deck, so this past Saturday I purchased a hummingbird feeder and hung it in the garden. Tuesday I saw my first hummingbirds. I have always considered hummingbirds a rare and precious sighting, but now I wonder if it wasnât my skills at spotting them that were deficient. Having hummingbirds arrive so quickly suggests they are always here, and in greater numbers than I appreciated. Funny how one can live oneâs life in the same town one was born in and go years without seeing a common local bird.
Flying squirrels are the same. I have never seen a flying squirrel, yet I have a friend not far from here who has them in their attic (where the blighters are making quite a mess of the beams). How can we have flying squirrels and yet Iâve never seen one outside a documentary? It makes me question the supposedly close connection to nature I tend to pride myself on.
Of course I had to look up Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus (what did we do before the Internet?). Ewwwww. Now I will never look at June bugs the same way again.
Ye gads, what a disgusting parasite! I knew I was always rather afraid of them for a good reason, I just didn’t know what that reason was until now. Oddly enough, where I am in northern CA, we get June bugs in late August and May flies in July, I think. I just know they die quickly and cling to the screens in hot weather. I remember having been fascinated by them as a child.
June bugs (we called them Japanese beetles) were always floating around in the pool when I was a kid, and they’d end up in my hair. They wouldn’t let go. I HATED that! Good thing I didn’t know about the parasite associated with them. I saw a documentary on parasites the other day on Animal Planet that was pretty disturbing.
Here’s Wikipedia’s Picture of the day from yesterday:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Traumatic_insemination_1_edit1.jpg
It was fitting because I saw it at work!
Is the USDA job the one you were telling me about in Texas?