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July 03, 2007
Nature's Fireworks - Fireflies
As we approach the annual 4th of July celebration, the warm evenings of July bring forth a longer-lasting light display. As I was sitting on my porch last night, I watched dozens of fireflies in my front yard take to the air and provide a light display. The way they can hover in a spot and give off their bioluminescent light is just amazing. I remember catching them in jars when I was a kid and watching them up close. If an insect can typify a a July evening in the country, then this is the one (or at least one of several common species).
Fireflies aren't flies, but beetles in the family Lampyridae. Rather than reiterate what is already on the web, I'll provide links to some very useful and interesting sites on fireflies. The Firefly Files is a really nice website with lots of useful facts and photos of fireflies. The Minnesota DNR has a fact page. Bioluminescence is an amazing phenomenon, and in nature, it os more common in deep-sea dwelling animals. People often think that the stuff inside light sticks is the same as for fireflies, but it is not! Read about how light sticks work here.
Posted by mfobrien at July 3, 2007 01:51 PM