ホタルの光

In the evening on the 9th of June, we went to see the fireflies.
We waited for the sun to set at the dead-end of a path along a stream.  
Nobody was there.  Chinese Hwamei, our introduced species, were singing out much louder than any of the native species like the Japanese Bush Warblers.  I wonder how the evening chorus was before the Hwamei came here. 

It got darker but we didn't see the fireflies.  We knew that the area was famous for them but was not sure if the place was right.  We thought of moving to other place for several times.  


When the sky became dark blue, I saw a gentle light popped up in front of me!  Then, another one over there.  



Soon after the forest became very dark and there were more than twenty fireflies in one sight.  I think it was the biggest number of them I saw at once around here.   Their lights appear and disappear so softly and beautifully. 
     
The Ural Owl hooted twice.  In the sky, there was another shining thing, Spika of Vigro.  

帰り道、ホタルを見に来ている人がいっぱいいるエリアを通った。
「お父さんもホタルを見るのは初めてだよ」などという会話も耳に挟む。
昔はホタルは周りにいくらでもいる虫だっただろうに、今は大人になるまで一度も見たことがない人も、けっこういるのだろう。それでも、ホタルの季節だから子どもと一緒に見に行ってみようと思うくらいにはホタルの存在を知っていて、近所に見られる場所があるのは、まだ良いのかもしれない。