SCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee

It’s amazing the subjects you can come up with while sitting around. Last Sunday we were sitting by a campfire when we noticed a lightning bug. Notice I said “a,” like in one, uno, solo. It was the first lightning bug I had seen in a while. I remember when I was growing up, we used to go visit relatives in Canada, and sometimes go  to a camp where we would see hundreds of lightning bugs flying around a field. You just don’t see that anymore. And, lo and behold, on Monday morning, I received an email from a reader asking the same question.

The lightning bug (firefly) during the day

Anyway, lightning bugs can make summers magical, but there is more to learn about these beauties.

First off, lightning bugs are actually fireflies. Fireflies are cute and elegant by day, but downright dazzling after darkness falls. But behind their charming facade, fireflies are fascinating little insects. Consider the following facts:

They are beetles, not flies. Fireflies are nocturnal members of Lampyridae, a family of insects within the beetle order Coleoptera, or winged beetles. Yes, they are officially beetles.

They are alchemists, poetically speaking at least. While they don’t actually turn base metals into gold, they do create light as if by magic. When a chemical called luciferin (note the same Latin root as Lucifer) inside their abdomen/tail combines with oxygen, calcium and adenosine triphosphate, a chemical reaction occurs that creates their spectacular light.

Firefly light is incredibly efficient. The light produced by the firefly is the most efficient light ever made. Almost 100 percent of the energy in the chemical reaction is emitted as light; in comparison, an incandescent light bulb only emits 10 percent of its energy as light, the other 90 percent is lost as heat.

The lightning bug (firefly) at night

The main reason lightning bugs flash is to attract mates. Among most but not all species of North American lightning bugs, males fly about flashing while females perch on vegetation, usually near the ground. If the female sees a flasher and she’s ready to mate she responds by flashing right after the male’s last flash. A short flash dialogue takes place as the male flies closer and closer, and then, if all goes well, they mate.

They come in a rainbow of colors. Well maybe not the whole spectrum, but they do come in yellow, light red, green and orange.

They taste awful. Not that we were planning on snacking on fireflies anytime soon, but for predators that might like a light meal, beware the lightning bug. Firefly blood contains lucibufagins, which is actually a defensive steroid that tastes really disgusting. It is similar to that found in some poisonous toads. Predators associate the bad taste with a firefly’s light and learn not to eat bugs that glow.

However, their numbers are declining. If you’re seeing fewer fireflies each summer, you’re not alone. Evidence suggests that firefly populations may be on the decline, most likely due to a combination of light pollution, pesticide use and habitat destruction. For example, according to Smithsonian.com, if a field where fireflies live is paved over, the fireflies don’t migrate to another field, they just disappear forever.

The scientific and citizen consensus is that fireflies could be facing a tough time. Malaysia even holds an international symposium dedicated to conservation of the firefly. Scientists have for years been warning that the world’s estimated 2,000 species of fireflies are dwindling.

And is it any wonder? As the man-made environment continues its march into the natural world, where are these things supposed to live? Fireflies breed and exist in the woods and forests, along lakes and streams, in dense gardens and unruly meadows. Where are they supposed to do their firefly things when those places are paved over and built upon?

All of it doesn’t bode well.

“Fireflies are indicators of the health of the environment and are declining across the world as a result of degradation and loss of suitable habitat, pollution of river systems, increased use of pesticides in agro-ecosystems and increased light pollution in areas of human habitation,” notes the Selangor Declaration, a firefly advocating document. “The decline of fireflies is a cause for concern and reflects the global trend of increasing biodiversity loss.”

Fireflies are part of our heritage; they are an iconic creature and have played a role in many, many cultures. They are the epitome of summer evenings, for many of us they served as an introduction to the wonders of nature. If we lose the fireflies, we lose an important invisible thread that connects us to the magic of the natural world. And as a species, we can’t afford to lose that right now.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: A Recording and a Movie

by  Peter Cates

Charlie Barnet – Knockin’ at the Famous Door, F.T.; Tin Roof Blues. Bluebird 10131, ten-inch shellac 78 record, recorded January 20, 1939.

Charlie Barnet

Charlie Barnet (1913-1991) was a very gifted saxophonist who perhaps achieved greater fame for his band’s vibrant, tasteful music making, so characteristic of every record I have heard. These two selections are typical and can be heard on Youtube.

He was heavily influenced by Duke Ellington, which helps to account a bit for the quality control of his arrangements. He also hired only the best people and featured Lena Horne and trumpeter Roy Eldridge as regular attractions for several years, while commissioning arrangements from Billy May. Finally he was so successful that he could afford beautiful homes in San Diego and Palm Springs and he was married 11 times.

In closing, a quote from his auto-biography about the frequent tours  of the band- “I found life on the road very intriguing. I probably was more enthralled with the life than the music – at first.”

Cool Hand Luke – starring Paul Newman, Strother Martin, Jo Van Fleet, Morgan Woodward, George Kennedy, etc.; directed by Stuart Rosenberg; Warner Brothers, 1967, 127 minutes.

Paul Newman

I remember vividly reading the novel by Donn Pearce, based on his own experiences on a chain gang, a strangely different experience from finally seeing the film two years later – ironic, since Pearce did work on the script. I think the reason may have been the lack of Strother Martin as the diabolically sadistic Captain and Morgan Woodward wearing the mirror sunglasses and never saying anything in his own role as the very formidable shotgun- carrying, walking Boss Godfrey.  (Interesting­ly, Woodward, who looked years older than Newman in the film, is still living at 90, nine months younger than Newman would have been.).

Of course, I loved Paul Newman’s sly Luke  Jackson and his incorrigibly rebellious stoicism that brings on beatings and other punishments from the guards and inmates but his finest moment is, having escaped yet again, being cornered in the church when he experiences a true spiritual epiphany with God. Jo Van Fleet does a heart-breaking moment as Luke’s dying mother clutching the cigarette as though it were a true lifeline, unlike her terrifying performance as James Dean’s mother in 1953’s East of Eden. George Kennedy, Luke Askew, Ralph Waite, J.D. Cannon and several others more than held their own.

The film was shot in the San Joaquin Valley in California and a crew thoroughly researched actual prison camp buildings in Florida before constructing the movie sets.

The most famous line, “What we have here is failure to communicate!,” was voted one of the 100 most famous movie quotes by the American Film Institute. Finally, fans of the film should check out a Youtube audio of the late Tim Wilson’s spoof of Strother Martin’s Captain.