Fireflies or Lightning Bugs?

[alexsmommy]

I grew up saying "lightning bugs". DH had no idea what I was talking about. One of those regional things I never gave thought to until my DSs were talking about catching lightning bugs.

[wellyes]

Me too (grew up in PA).

[crl]

I say fireflies, but I know that lightening bugs are the same thing. My parents are from Missouri so I am sure that's where I get my terminology from.

Catherine

[cvanbrunt]

Lightning bugs. I was a kid in South Carolina.

[Nu_mama]

Fireflies all the way. Midwestern girl here.

[KLD313]

Lightening bugs and I'm from CT.

[alexsmommy]

Fireflies all the way. Midwestern girl here.

I'm technically a midwestern girl - Chicago...

[BillK]

Lightning Bugs here. PA born and raised.

[Dr C]

Fireflies. From NC.

[scrooks]

Lightening bugs- from Ohio.

[BayGirl2]

We said both. Had them in central NY state.

[buddyleebaby]

I use them both interchangeably.
I am from NYC.

[kristenk]

A Texas vote for lightning bugs.

[Cam&Clay]

Born and raised in VA. Please say it the correct way...


Lite-nin-buhgs

No one EVER said fireflies.

[Kindra178]

Northern NJ. Fireflies (but lightning bugs was tossed around a little).

[Indianamom2]

I guess I probably say lightning bugs more (grew up in DE) but I think I say both now (live in IN.).

[AngB]

Lightning bugs (Missouri)

[MamaKath]

Lightening Bugs...grew up in NJ.

We read Miss Suzy last night and she has firefly lamps though. They certainly sound better than lightening bug lamps. ;)
http://www.amazon.com/Miss-Suzy-Miriam-Young/dp/1930900287

[wildfire]

We used both, lightening bugs probably a bit more than fireflies. Grew up in the Chicago suburbs.

ETA: I am sad now that I live in the Pacific NW that we don't have them here. My girls would love chasing them.

[TwinFoxes]

I say fireflies, but I know that lightening bugs are the same thing.

:yeahthat: I grew up in California, so I only read about them...I guess some books said "lightening bugs" and some "fireflies". Now that I live somewhere that actually has them, I call them fireflies. (Yes I'm the dork who every summer says "ooh, look!")

[vludmilla]

Lightening bugs. I grew up near NYC.

[babyonway]

Lightening bugs--- Midwest


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[kijip]

Fireflies. However, since I grew up west of the Rocky Mountains I have never actually seen anywhere I live. When we were in the south for a bit we saw them but never, ever here in WA state or in Colorado (place we spent the 2nd most time.) I wasn't quite sure they were not fictional like unicorns until I was age 11.

[american_mama]

Fireflies, grew up in Central NY. Surprised that Pennsylvania and NYC say something different.

[queenmama]

I'm from California and called them fireflies. DH is from Arkansas, grew up in Missouri, and calls them lightning bugs. We're on his turf so I converted.

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[DietCokeLover]

"Lightnin' bugs". I grew up in TX and South Carolina.

[Giantbear]

I use them both interchangeably.
I am from NYC.LI here and also use them both

[wellyes]

Fireflies, grew up in Central NY. Surprised that Pennsylvania and NYC say something different.

Both PA responses are from the western half of the state - not Philly.

[essnce629]

Fireflies. I'm from CA and have never even heard of "lightning bugs!"

[lmh2402]

lightening bugs

b&r in nyc

[roseyloxs]

We used both, lightening bugs probably a bit more than fireflies. Grew up in the Chicago suburbs.

ETA: I am sad now that I live in the Pacific NW that we don't have them here. My girls would love chasing them.

:yeahthat: Most parts of Chicago don't really have them anymore either if that makes you feel better. I think they were killed off when they started spraying for mosquitos during the whole west nile scare. Its really a shame. I haven't seen a lightning bug in years.

[elizabethkott]

Huh. Interesting (fun!) question!
I just asked DH, not expecting us to have different answers, but we do!
I'm a lightning bug (Long Island), and he's a firefly (outside Boston).

[MontrealMum]

Born and raised in MI - lightning bugs.

[MamaMolly]

I say 'Lat-nin bugs'.

I'm from the deep South and I have no idea why you have all those extra silent letters in it on the poll. I almost voted other.

[gamma]

Lightening bugs! North Jersey.

[Nyfeara]

Lightning bugs - central/south NJ.

[marymoo86]

Lightning bugs - NC but really used both terms

lightning bug was used when little and firefly when older

[lhafer]

Born and raised in VA. Please say it the correct way...


Lite-nin-buhgs

No one EVER said fireflies.

:yeahthat: and :hysterical: because I thought the same thing!! Texan born and raised here.

[Momit]

I'm scratching my head a little on this one. I'm pretty sure I grew up saying lightning bugs, but I seem to have picked up fireflies somewhere along the way and now use both.

There was a book/poem I remember from when I was a kid called "Lucifer Leverett Lightning Bug."

[lizzywednesday]

Lightning bugs. Grew up in North-west New Jersey, but my parents' families were from PA and Hudson County, NJ.

I heard both terms, but preferred "lightning bugs" because they're not flies, they're beetles.

I used "firefly" in high school because that's when I learned how to say it in Japanese. (Any SSA singers out there might also have performed the piece in which I learned it - Hotaru Koi ... )

Of course, now "Firefly" has a totally different connotation thanks to Joss Whedon.

[karstmama]

both, actually. eastern nc. probably mainly use lightnin' bug, but firefly is also understood.

[ilfaith]

I grew up in NYC and central NJ and used both, but probably heard "lightning bugs" more.

[R2sweetboys]

I grew up in Maine and we call them fireflies. DH is from the south and called them lightening bugs but I've converted him. ;)

[theriviera]

I grew up in the midwest and call them fireflies.

[ett]

Firefly - grew up in MA.

[janine]

I grew up saying "lightning bugs". DH had no idea what I was talking about. One of those regional things I never gave thought to until my DSs were talking about catching lightning bugs.

never heard of lightning bugs!

[bcafe]

Growing up we said lightning bugs, but now it is either one. I grew up in Iowa.

[BabbyO]

I use them both interchangeably.
I am from NYC.

:yeahthat: I'm from WI. I guess maybe we used firefly a little more frequently...but I remember using both all my life.

Now lets get started on bubbler or water fountain! :)

[ZeeBaby]

We said both. Had them in central NY state.

This. We said both.

[MamaSnoo]

Fireflies in AL.
I heard both growing up, probably more LB than FF, but my parents were from the midwest, not the SE.

[kristenk]

I already voted lightning bugs, but just wanted to add that I'd read books that mentioned fireflies when I was younger and always wondered why we had lightning bugs where I lived, but not fireflies, never realizing that they were the same thing! I always wanted to see fireflies sometime. They sounded so much prettier!

[boolady]

Lightning bugs - central/south NJ.

Me, too. Born and raised 10-15 minutes from center city Philadelphia.

[NCGrandma]

Lightning bugs - central/south NJ.

Yep, me too -- and when I moved to NC, I found 'em here, too.

[alexsmommy]

:yeahthat: I'm from WI. I guess maybe we used firefly a little more frequently...but I remember using both all my life.

Now lets get started on bubbler or water fountain! :)

I had never heard the word "bubbler" until I went Lawrence U in WI. I also had never heard "melk" for "miik" until then.