Free Republic

Fireflies Flash Together. Scientists investigate whether firefly synchrony is an optical illusion or really happens. It does. July 19, 2021 | David F. Coppedge On summer evenings in some eastern states, people are treated each summer to a dazzling nighttime fireworks show. Flashes of cold light appear in the woods, as males of the species Photinus carolinus emit transient bursts of yellow-white light from bioluminescent organs on their abdomens. There have been long-standing anecdotes of synchronized flashes among members of a swarm. Scientists have gathered some evidence that it indeed occurs, but there have not been clear indications of how...

After enjoying yet another great feed at my neighbors' annual pig roast this past Saturday evening, I commented on all of the lightning bugs across the road in the corn field. My wife's good friend, Wendy Everly, said I should write an article on them. I asked her what the big deal is with lightning bugs and she replied that they don't have them in Montana. My response was sort of "so what?" We don't have the great trout fishing they do and no elk and mule deer to hunt. This, along with all of the othe r great diversity...

They come out like the stars. There's one! There's another! And then all at once they're everywhere: Lazy smiles of yellow light traced low over the lawn. Green glowing streamers drifting from the treetops. Frenetic flashes like paparazzi above an unkempt meadow. Fireflies. What did we ever do to deserve them? .... Everything about fireflies is good. Nothing about them is bad. Can the same be said of anything else on Earth?