Fireflies of Jallurgal

I still remember the first time I encountered fireflies.

It was about thirty years ago, climbing Wollumbin in the darkness of night. I had never seen them before, and there was something almost mystical about those tiny lights appearing and disappearing amongst the trees. Like little sparks of magic floating through the forest.

These days, unfortunately, fireflies are becoming harder to find. Their numbers are believed to be declining in Australia and around the world, as the places they depend upon disappear beneath expanding cities and changing landscapes.

So when a friend told me that fireflies had appeared at Jellurgal Headland, I couldn't resist going to say hello again.

I entered the forest just after sunset. At first, there was nothing. Just the fading light and the darkening shapes of the trees.

Then I saw one.

A few metres off the path to my left, a tiny light flashed briefly in the darkness.

Then disappeared.

A few seconds later, it flashed again.

On... off... on...

Almost like some kind of Morse code.

I later discovered that, in a way, it really was some kind of code. Apparently, the flashes are part of an ancient courtship ritual. In many species, the males move through the darkness flashing their particular sequence of light, while the females wait below, hidden amongst the grasses and vegetation.

She watches.

And if she likes what she sees, she flashes back.

“Come closer”, she beckons with her unique light codes.

There is something almost mystical about it, and perhaps that's why fireflies have found their way into human folklore for centuries.

In some European cultures, fireflies are symbols of love and romance. It is said that if two people fall in love under the light of fireflies, their love will be eternal.

In Japan, fireflies are considered symbols of the ancestors' souls that return to Earth to visit their loved ones. It is believed that their light guides lost travelers and provides protection against evil spirits.

There is something about a mysterious light appearing in darkness that naturally awakens the imagination.

A light that appears & disappears…

Calling you towards it….

I started imagining a scene in which a traveller sees a mysterious light in the forest and, against all better judgement, follows it…leading them somewhere they really shouldn't have gone.

And nature, it turns out, has her own version of that story.

In parts of the Americas there are female fireflies sometimes called femmes fatales. They imitate the courtship flashes of females from another species. The male sees the answering light and approaches, believing he is about to meet a mate.

Instead, she eats him.

The enchantress becomes the devourer.

Thankfully, I didn't know any of this as I wandered through Jellurgal in the darkness.

All I knew was that a few metres ahead of me, somewhere amongst the trees, a tiny light kept flashing.

Then disappearing.

Then flashing again.

And I kept following.

There was something strangely familiar about it. As though some ancient part of me recognised the invitation.

Come deeper.

For a moment, standing there beneath the trees, the rational world seemed very far away.

And I found myself wondering where this little light was taking me.

It felt as though I was being lured somewhere.

Deeper into the forest. Deeper into the mystery.

Perhaps to some secret gathering hidden amongst the trees...

or an audience with their enchanting queen.

Myths and Legends of the Fireflies (2024) https://www.cantodelbosque.com.mx/en/events/myths-and-legends-of-the-fireflies

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