Alternative ways to light up on the Fourth of July

But that doesn't mean we can't find other ways to add some light and excitement to our summer nights.

In fact, 2011 could go down in history as the year glowing in the dark came of age.

Nature has always managed her own luminescent fun with everything from fireflies to schools of luminescent fish.

But since Southern New Mexico lacks the ocean and damp forest habitats for such critters, we'll just have to find ways to come up with our own glow fun.

Edmundo Resendez of Las Cruces has fond memories of glow-in-the-dark adventures — both natural and manmade.

"We used to go out with black lights and find scorpions that would glow blue at night. I grew up in Texas, and there were some swampy areas where you could find fireflies. I knew kids who would smash them and write their names to glow on their arms," said Resendez, who added he wasn't personally into luminescent bug guts graffiti, but enjoyed luminescent paint for art projects.

Midwestern natives report a somewhat more lightning-bug-friendly catch-and-release game, capturing fireflies and putting them in a ventilated jar to share their eerie light for a while.

A recent trend allows humans to be luminescent, too, if they're willing to get a "stealth" tattoo. Using a special ink that can only be seen in the dark, the tattoos are reportedly invisible by day.

Some online sources express concerns about the safety of the ink and expense and availability of the stealths. Summer silly season may not be the best time to make such a commitment — albeit a sometimes invisible one — so you might want to opt for a glowing temporary version (available online), instead.

And there are lots of other ways to add some phosphorescent fun to summer nights. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Glowing fingers and toes: Do an online search for glow-in-the-dark fingernail polish. Several brands are available.

Glow shoes: Nike, Converse and Reebok are among brands that have sneakers that will light up your nights.

Laces: Not ready to spring for glow shoes? Online sources offer glow-in-the-dark laces in shades of purple, blue, green, yellow, neon pink and more. One source to investigate: shoelacesexpress.com.

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