There are several places in Nishinomiya City where you can see fireflies,
and this time we went to see the fireflies that have started flying at the “Landslide Museum” upstream along the Nigawa River (*^^)v
How to get to the Landslide Museum
From Hankyu Nigawa Station, walk along the right side of the river all the way to the end,
and you’ll see a bridge on your left, so cross it.
Go up the stairs,
cross the open area and turn right,
and you’ll arrive in front of the “Landslide Museum.”
It takes about 20 minutes on foot, but it’s a gentle uphill walk ^^;
The surrounding area is residential, so there is no parking lot.
This riverside area is where you can see the fireflies (*^^)v
About fireflies
★Firefly light glows in a fluorescent color that looks like a mix of yellow and green highlighter ink. Males glow while flying to look for females, and females glow in the grass. Apparently, they even glow in the river from the time they are larvae.
★Fireflies grow by eating a kind of river snail called kawanina in the river.
★A firefly’s light isn’t hot ^^; It glows through a reaction between enzymes and proteins inside its body.
★In Japan, the best-known fireflies are Genji-botaru and Heike-botaru. There are various theories, but apparently the Genji-botaru, named after the side that won the Genpei War, is the larger one ^^;
☆The best time to see fireflies is around 8 to 9 p.m. on a windless, cloudy, humid night! When the bush mosquitoes start flying, I always think the fireflies might be around soon.
They don’t seem to be very active on windy days, rainy days, chilly days, or nights when the moon is bright ^_^;
Things to keep in mind when watching
The fireflies around the Landslide Museum fly very close by, but please don’t catch them! If they get weakened, they won’t be able to reproduce, and the fireflies will disappear.
Fireflies are insects too, so I’m sure they don’t like insect repellent sprays… Let’s go in long sleeves and long pants!
The neighborhood is residential, so please enjoy watching them quietly without speaking loudly!
There are many flowers planted around the museum, lovingly cared for by volunteers, so please be careful not to damage them !(^^)!
Finally
Someone who had come to watch the fireflies called out to a parent and child carrying a net, saying, “Please don’t catch the fireflies—there aren’t many this year!”
We definitely want to follow good manners so we can keep enjoying fireflies next year, the year after that, and for many years to come (*^^)v
At the beginning of June, a few had started flying, but I’m not sure whether more will appear from here… I hope lots of them will be flying soon (#^.^#)
