One of the simple joys of a nice summer night in Minnesota is seeing some fireflies aglow, buzzing around on a nice evening.
One of Minnesota's nature-focused attractions is offering visitors the opportunity to explore its grounds and experience that bit of summertime magic as hundreds of fireflies - also known as lighting bugs - flash and frolic around.
The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in the Twin Cities suburb of Chaska has brought back this magical summer evening event, with a handful of viewing nights this summer.
If you've never been to "The Arb" before, its a beautiful place. The 1,200-acre facility offers year-round opportunities to enjoy the grounds, from the stunning spring boom with tens of thousands of tulips to a charming winter holiday lights display to day-to-day viewing of the various trees, flowers, and other plants on the grounds.
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That large, natural space also happens to be great territory for fireflies, which why the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum hosts these firefly viewing nights each summer.
During each of these viewing nights, you have the chance to learn about these glowing little bugs from local experts as well as walk the trails at the arboretum to see them glow and glide around.
As a part of each of these events, there are concessions available, firefly craft-making opportunities, and of course walking any (or all) of the three trails selected by the Arboretum team for the best firefly viewing.
The first of these viewing nights was last night, but worry not, there are several ahead yet!
The dates for this year's Minnesota Landscape Arboretum firefly viewing nights are as follows:
Thursday, June 25
Friday, June 26
Saturday, June 27
Thursday, July 2
Friday, July 3
Sunday, July 5
Thursday, July 9
Friday, July 10
Saturday, July 11
Sunday, July 12
Several of these nights will also have special programs you can attend during your visit that range from opportunities to learn about owls and other creatures, storytelling events, and more. You can learn more about each night's additional programs here.
Each of these viewing nights start at 8:30 pm, and go until 10:30 pm. This is a ticketed event, and advanced tickets are highly recommended. They can be purchased online via the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum website.
If you're planning a visit, Arboretum staff say you should consider bringing a flashlight, as lighting on the trails is minimal. In addition, you should dress for the weather, as this is (obviously) and outdoor experience.
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Gallery Credit: Nick Cooper - TSM Duluth
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