Luciferin

Wednesday, July 3, 2019 — Eagle Trail

A solo expedition in search of the elusive Boulder firefly. Arrived at Eagle Trailhead at about 8:45, with plenty of light to see the trail; reached the little pond in the middle of Boulder Valley Ranch by about 9. A few fireflies were flashing, not flying around much. By 9:30 they were somewhat more active, still not very many in flight. I left at about 9:45, just as the stars were coming out. Jupiter was up, as was Scorpio. Too many clouds for good astrophotography, and not really dark enough. Also saw some fireworks east of Boulder Res.

The walk back was darker, but no headlamp required.

As for wildlife, I could hear some dogs and maybe a loon or something. One can usually hear coyotes and sometimes owls, but not tonight.

There were about 1000 times more mosquitoes than fireflies. A few even hitched a ride in my car on the way home. Hopefully I had doused myself in sufficient repellent.

Image Note: 30 second exposure at f/8, cropped to about 1/4 of the frame.