On our first night in La Danta Salvaje, the rain forest preserve in Costa Rica, we were fascinated by the exotic fireflies that came by our outdoor kitchen/dining area as we relaxed sipping hot chocolate and rum after a wonderful meal. At first, they seemed to be ordinary fireflies such as we encounter in North America — nothing much remark upon, except that they seemed to be rather larger.
But when one landed on the table, I was startled to see two glowing “eyes” on the top of it — never saw anything like that when I was growing up in New Jersey! The little bug flew off before I could catch it, and as I watched it flitting around, it was eerie to see those tiny glowing eyes zig-zagging through the dark. Sometimes the abdomen would glow, too, like a regular firefly but brighter, and sometimes just the pair of eyes would be circling about.
Here’s a video that lets you see what these glowing click beetles look like when they fly about at night.
David, our host and guide, took a log from the fire and stood at the edge of the railing waving it so the embers glowed and sent off orange sparks in the night. Read the rest of this entry »
