Lightning Bugs or Fireflies?

Nature 2 Minutes

This is an article I found on Birds & Blooms discussing lightning bugs!

Whether you are lucky enough to see a lightning bug in your backyard or plan to head to a local spot for prime viewing, lightning bugs (aka fireflies) are synonymous with summer. Let’s illuminate some little-known truths about these fascinating, glowing creatures.

Firefly vs Lightning Bug

More than 2,000 species of lightning bugs and fireflies exist worldwide, including 170 in North America. But what’s the correct name? According to Adele Wellman, Allegany region environmental educator for New York State Parks, calling them either fireflies or lightning bugs is fine. “There is no difference between them; they are the same insects,” she says.

Though both names are correct, these flashers are technically neither bugs nor flies. Instead, they are beetles. Next time you’ve got one in your hands, look closely for hardened wing cases, the elytra. This is a key beetle characteristic.

How Long Do Lightning Bugs Live?

“Fireflies go through complete metamorphosis,” Adele says. “They lay eggs in moist areas, and these hatch in about two weeks. The larvae grow for months, pupate underground or beneath tree bark, and then transform into adults.”

Adulthood is short-lived for these beetles. Most adult fireflies survive for just days or weeks.

What Do Lightning Bugs Eat?

Lightning bug larvae are voracious. Adele says that the small, armored, leggy predators live on earthworms, slugs and snails.

Though some adults do not eat at all, the predatory females in the Photuris genus mimic the flashing patterns of other firefly species to lure and eat males.

How and Why Do Lightning Bugs Light Up?

Not all fireflies flash, but both the eggs and larvae glow. Scientists think this is a hint to leave young fireflies alone—a clear warning to would-be attackers of their potentially bitter taste. Adult firefly abdomens have light-producing organs. Within these lanterns, chemicals, enzymes and other compounds mix to produce light.

The blinking rates can help identify different species. “It may take a while for your eyes to adjust, but when they do, note how many different flash patterns you see,” Adele says.

Some Lightning Bugs Flash in Unison

One fascinating type of firefly flashes in unison. In the U.S., these synchronous fireflies were once thought to live only in the Smoky Mountains, but recently they’ve been discovered in other pockets along the Appalachians.  Synchronous fireflies prefer mature, dark forests, according to Adele. One of her favorite programs at Allegany State Park is leading firefly trips that include viewing synchronous species.

When Do Lightning Bugs Come Out?

With so many species worldwide, lightning bugs are found in many habitats, including deep woods, meadows, marshes, swamps and fields. They often like to be near water sources.

“They prefer hot and humid nights,” Adele says. “Heavy rains or cooler temperatures cause them to slow their flash.”

Light hampers fireflies’ ability to see one another, so these bright beetles seek out dark areas. The summer viewing season begins as early as May and lasts until September—peak watching coincides with the warmest months of the year.

Source: Birds & Blooms

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Published by pat frederick

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48 thoughts on “Lightning Bugs or Fireflies?”

  1. Good morning, Pat and Filly!

    I can attest that lightning bugs live in the flatlands too, not just the mountains. On mid-summer evenings, lightning bugs can be seen flashing in our woods and grassy areas. As children in S GA, we spent happy hours chasing them and smearing them on our shirts to make light streaks.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Morning GA!
      we collected ours in jars to see who could collect the most. our baby brother would always cry cuz we’d get more and mom would make us share. ever try dumping lightning bugs from one jar to another? LOL

      Liked by 2 people

      1. We smushed some bugs – skeeters, gnats, etc. – but not butterflies – we didn’t touch them because of the delicate color dust on their wings

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Morning, Pat! The 4″ of snow we got has mostly melted already. Big improvement – it no longer burns or tingles when I breathe in thru my nose. Still drip, drip, drip but I’m getting there!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. THIS IS DESPICABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (DePat headline)
    where is the HONOR gone in government?
    SHOCKING REPORT: DOJ Embedded an FBI Informant Inside the DEFENSE TEAM of Non-Violent Jan 6 Prisoner and Former US Marine Zachary Rehl

    Liked by 2 people

  7. get a tattoo –which alters their body almost permanently

    Liked by 1 person

        1. Good Morning !☀️
          “l’m moving my family to Venzuela where they’ll
          be safe!” Sadly, they won’t be safe from you, Sean!

          Liked by 2 people

  10. Matt Gaetz:

    “I intend to utilize the new rules secured in the House of Representatives to offer amendments to the Appropriations Act to zero out the salaries of ATF bureaucrats for breaking the law and abusing the liberties of our fellow Americans.” pic.twitter.com/UoSRJfwOAP

    — Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) March 23, 2023

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Citizen 817
    March 24, 2023 12:24 am

    @realDonaldTrump

    17h
    WHY WON’T BRAGG DROP THIS CASE? EVERYBODY SAYS THERE IS NO CRIME HERE. I DID NOTHING WRONG! IT WAS ALL MADE UP BY A CONVICTED NUT JOB WITH ZERO CREDIBILITY, WHO HAS BEEN DISPUTED BY HIGHLY RESPECTED PROFESSIONALS AT EVERY TURN. BRAGG REFUSES TO STOP DESPITE OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY. HE IS A SOROS BACKED ANIMAL WHO JUST DOESN’T CARE ABOUT RIGHT OR WRONG NO MATTER HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE HURT. THIS IS NO LEGAL SYSTEM, THIS IS THE GESTAPO, THIS IS RUSSIA AND CHINA, BUT WORSE. DISGRACEFUL!

    EVERYBODY KNOWS I’M 100% INNOCENT, INCLUDING BRAGG, BUT HE DOESN’T CARE. HE IS JUST CARRYING OUT THE PLANS OF THE RADICAL LEFT LUNATICS. OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED, AS THEY TELL US TO BE PEACEFUL!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Citizen 817
      March 24, 2023 12:26 am

      @realDonaldTrump

      13h
      District Attorney Bragg is a danger to our Country, and should be removed immediately, along with Radical Lunatic Bombthrower Jack Smith, who is harassing and intimidating innocent people at levels not seen before, “Get Trump” Letitia James, the worst Attorney General in the United States, and Atlanta D.A. Fani Willis, who is trying to make PERFECT phone calls into a plot to destroy America, but reigns over the most violent Crime Scene in America, and does nothing about it!

      Liked by 2 people

  12. myfairlady53
    March 24, 2023 12:35 am

    Wow! Seems like DeSantis sure change his mind a lot. No Open carry for Florida,
    ———

    Laura Loomer

    @LauraLoomer

    JUST IN: @GovRonDeSantis
    has CAVED on his promise of constitutional and open carry.

    I called this in January 2023.

    People attacked me for telling you the truth, but once again, I am right about DeSantis being a liar and a showboater. He supports red flag laws. Always has.

    (20) Laura Loomer on Twitter: “JUST IN: @GovRonDeSantis has CAVED on his promise of constitutional and open carry. I called this in January 2023. People attacked me for telling you the truth, but once again, I am right about DeSantis being a liar and a showboater. He supports red flag laws. Always has. https://t.co/8rEhGN1RrB” / Twitter

    Liked by 3 people

  13. Feisty Hayseed
    March 24, 2023 1:18 am

    Soros Owned DA Kim Gardner Found GUILTY On 141 Counts!

    St Louis DA Kim Gardner is in a world of hurt after she lost her appeal for refusing to turn over her communications with operatives of George Soros and others in her prosecution of former Gov Eric Greitens. A court has already found that she committed 62 acts of misconduct and 79 cases of misrepresentation in convicting Greitens of crimes he did not commit. He was later cleared and the extremely popular Greitens is now running for the US Senate from Missouri.

    Gardner has been a disaster for St Louis. Last year there more murders in St Louis than at any time in the last 50 years. Gardner has refused to prosecute so many murderers that the Missouri legislature had to pass a law limiting the time she had to file murder charges to 90 days. After that, the state Attorney General takes over the case.

    Gardner refused to prosecute cases of drug dealers and child molesters even when there was enough evidence to make them open and shut cases. Her excuse was that the police are racists and she refused to take cases from over 20 policemen at all.

    https://thebeltwayreport.com/2023/03/soros-backed-da-kim-gardner-found-guilty-of-62-acts-of-misconduct-79-false-representations-in-her-persecution-of-eric-greitens/

    Liked by 3 people

  17. “Senate Committee Handles Bancel with Kid Gloves — Theater with Moderna Billionaire CEO Stephane Bancel Fails to Ask Key Questions”
    Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH™
    31 min ago

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “In 2006, Stephane Bancel was a sales director then head of Belgium operations for Eli Lilly, essentially a relatively mid to high level big pharma sales executive. In 2007 he catapults become CEO of French diagnostics company BioMérieux and begins on work with the Chinese to build the biosecurity annex level 4 at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. His company trains the Chinese lab technicians. Bancel joins startup Moderna in 2011. Moderna’s has three patents that claim priority to applications filed between 2011 and 2016 covering its foundational intellectual property on mRNA, code to SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, and related functions. In April 2020, Moderna’s sales and stock price skyrocketed on the promise of a COVID-19 vaccine that was planned for years. Bancel’s stake of the company is about 9% and net worth estimated to be ~$6 billion.

    While the countenance Senator Rand Paul was stern and his questions on the surface appeared intimidating, he and the committee failed to drill Bancel on issues that would reveal corruption, racketeering, fraud, conspiracy to commit domestic terrorism, public harm, or mass negligent homicide. Here are five questions Senators either didn’t have the foundational understanding, perceptiveness, or courage to ask:

    1. What was Bancel’s involvement with the Chinese in the construction of the lab annex? Was it intended for bioterrorism? How many times did Bancel visit the lab between 2007 and 2020?

    2. Did Moderna collaborate with or rely upon Dr. Ralph Baric’s NIH work on chimeric SARS-CoV-2 as published in 2015 in Nature Medicine and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science? Is the patented genetic code for Moderna mRNA derived from Baric’s chimeric virus or another one originating from the WIV BSL-4?

    3. Did Bancel know ahead of time his product would cause myocarditis, neurologic injury, blood clotting, and immunologic syndromes (VITT, MIS)?

    4. How many deaths and serious adverse events did Moderna record in its 90 day obligatory post-release safety data? Why has this dossier not been released to the public? When will it be? Assuming Moderna’s dossier has similar numbers of fatalities to Pfizer, why did Moderna fail to pull their product off the market early in 2021 due to excess risk of death?

    5. Has Moderna or FDA or any third party at any time inspect its mRNA-1273 vaccine for quality, purity, and concentration as it is being produced by biodefense contractor National Resilience or other supplier? How dose Moderna assure the quantity of mRNA in the final fill and finish of the vials before they are shipped to pharmacies and vaccine centers?

    In conclusion, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions needs to step up its game if America wants to get to the bottom of what is going on with the COVID-19 vaccine debacle. I suggest they call in some doctors with courage, expertise, and clear vision to advise them on questioning. Wednesday March 22, 2023 fell short by a Kentucky mile and Bancel must be skipping away in relief.”

    Like

  19. LOL Both
    I love looking outside in the summer into the woods and just seeing them flash

    magic

    like little fairies

    Like

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