Time to shine with your firefly pics, Ottawa
Wet spring yields abundance of the bioluminescent bugs
Turns out it's not so easy to photograph fireflies. We should know. We tried, and it didn't turn out so great.
Here's the backstory: Two years ago, we wrote about an explosion in the local firefly population following the 2017 floods.
Many people reported seeing the previously scarce bioluminescent bugs lighting up urban gardens and sports fields.
Firefly larvae feed on slugs, snails and earthworms, creatures that are in abundance during wet weather.
It's thought similar conditions this spring are behind the repeat performance.
The challenge is capturing the spectacular light show on film. We tried to take a video of the flickering insects in this central Ottawa backyard.
Meh.
Here are a few photos taken with a high-quality camera and lens in La Pêche, Que., north of Gatineau.
Better, but still...
So we've come up with the bright idea of handing the task over to local nature photographers, pro and amateur. Can you do a better job than us capturing fireflies on camera?
Please send us your photos via Twitter or Facebook, or email them to us at cbcnewsottawa@cbc.ca.