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2008-10-31 : FAIRY-TALE FIREFLIES

It's only a matter of days now before we hit the road to the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens in Betty's Bay. The first fireflies have been seen at night and soon visitors will have the opportunity to experience fairy-tale magic during close encounters with these luminous beetles...

sunset over False Bay & Helderberg mountains - Sir Lowry's pass, Gordon's Bay [© 2009 PaulGodard.com]
When I last spoke to Jane from the Harold Porter BG, she told me she would soon be able to let people know when to come and see the fireflies. Walking in nature in absolute darkness, without a torch or any form of light, is an experience on its own. Last year, we walked on the lawns and between fynbos bushes, guided only by stars, until we suddenly noticed flickering lights. We kept silent and, as in a delightful fairy-tale, we were surrounded by a firework of tiny little fireflies who instantly transform into mundane little beetles as soon as you switch the light on. True magic cannot be forced...

"It's a little cold still at the moment," Jane told me. As we can only take 40 people per night we do not advertise it widely as we would be flooded with numbers, which would make the experience unpleasant. We will be taking bookings soon." She explained that the fireflies seem to come out on still, warm, dark nights. Moonlight, temperature and wind all play a role. Visitors can join Jane on a Night Walk, and if the fireflies are playing hide-and-seek, you can go hunting for spiders, frogs and night-scented flowers to make up for their absence.

Friday and Saturday nights are "family nights" when children are welcome. Sunday to Thursday nights are "adults only" for those who want to enjoy the evening without the noise and torch flashing that children inevitably indulge in...

Phone Magda on 028-2729311 (at Harold Porter) to find out what's on.


DID YOU KNOW

Fireflies are soft-bodied beetles related to the glowworm. The winged male and flightless female both have luminescent organs. The light is chiefly produced as a signal between the sexes, esp. in flashes.