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MOWGLI
07-07-2005, 20:23
On Monday night - July 4th - my daughter and I stayed at Walnut Mountain Shelter about 13 miles south of Hot Springs. We were the only two in the shelter. I woke up at 11 PM and saw the oddest thing. Fireflies were flashing in unison like a strobe light in front of the shelter. It was the darndest thing I've ever seen.

I didn't see it for all that long because they moved to the right of the shelter, and I didn't feel like getting up. I simply fell back asleep. I had heard about these fireflies at Elkmont in GSMNP, but apparently they can be found other places too. Anyone ever see this phenomenon?

Here's a link I found with some info about these critters;

http://www.brevard.edu/appalachian/fireflies.htm

Jeffrey Hunter

Scrunchy
07-07-2005, 20:38
On Monday night - July 4th - my daughter and I stayed at Walnut Mountain Shelter about 13 miles south of Hot Springs. We were the only two in the shelter. I woke up at 11 PM and saw the oddest thing. Fireflies were flashing in unison like a strobe light in front of the shelter. It was the darndest thing I've ever seen.

I didn't see it for all that long because they moved to the right of the shelter, and I didn't feel like getting up. I simply fell back asleep. I had heard about these fireflies at Elkmont in GSMNP, but apparently they can be found other places too. Anyone ever see this phenomenon?

Here's a link I found with some info about these critters;

http://www.brevard.edu/appalachian/fireflies.htm

Jeffrey Hunter
Yes!! They are very cool. I saw them at Elkmont last year and up at Craggy Gardens...at Craggy they were going off and on in waves. The most bizarre, amazing thing I think I have ever seen!

Dances with Mice
07-07-2005, 21:09
Here's a link I found with some info about these critters;
http://www.brevard.edu/appalachian/fireflies.htmI haven't been lucky enough to see the In-Synch bugs but the linked article mentions 'blue ghosts'...
Another Appalachian firefly is known as the blue ghost. They do not flash. Instead, they hover silently just inches off the ground while glowing constantly with a pale white or bluish light. With hundreds of these fireflies drifting over the forest floor, the effect is eerie. I've had one of these trapped with me inside a Black Diamond Megamid once, it kept circling around inside the tent. One of the strangest things I've ever seen.

sliderule
07-07-2005, 21:53
I saw them (synchronous fireflies) at Elkmont (Great Smoky Mtn National Park) about three weeks ago. They are becoming a major tourist attraction there. Interestingly, the Park Service seems to think that they exist nowhere but Elkmont.

smokymtnsteve
07-07-2005, 22:00
I saw them at Elkmont (Great Smoky Mtn National Park) about three weeks ago. They are becoming a major tourist attraction there. Interestingly, the Park Service seems to think that they exist nowhere but Elkmont.

another example of false advertising

TDale
07-08-2005, 10:52
I"ve seen the blue ghosts in the cohutta wilderness. Thought I was having a flashback. "Wooooow, tracers"

SGT Rock
07-08-2005, 10:57
I don;t recall ever seeing these blue fireflies. I guess I need to go up to Elkmont.

Moon Monster
07-08-2005, 16:57
The Park is actually suggesting carpooling this year to ease the traffic this phenomenon is causing:
http://www.wbir.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=26236

SGT Rock
07-08-2005, 17:29
I know a place to park that is nearby and make a nice overnight hike of it. The parkin spot is outside of the park and the road is not one that is normally used to get into the park.

9 Mules
07-08-2005, 18:23
smokymtnsteve & sliderule...you must of talked to a Ranger at Elkmont...which are seasonal administrative employees with limited bits of information on a huge list of questions asked by park visitors and most likely will never return the next year.
They only spit out what they are told. The big picture.

If you had talked with the park's entomologist you'll find that there's tons of glow in the dark goodies within the park.
There are 2 other places in the world besides the park, both in Asia, that scientist have documented for research of the synchronous fireflies.
Doesn't mean the do not exist anywhere else.
You'd have also have learned that there are other creatures of the dark that glow...."Railroad" bugs...rocks...and wood (foxfire).

Just Jeff
07-08-2005, 20:51
I saw the fireflies that don't blink on the SC Foothills Trail. The first few nights I saw just a few...it was pretty cool. On my last night, hiking out in the dark, I came into several draws that were covered with the things. Like a huge glowing carpet hovering a few inches off the ground. I've never seen anything like it before or since.