The Magic of Firefly Summer Nights

It's been a long time since I was a little girl catching fireflies in the summer. Yet seeing them sparkling on a warm summer night still holds all of that magic and wonder for me..

I always know when summer has truly arrived when the first twinkles appear at twilight. They're dancing like little fairies

Despite my love of summer and fireflies, there are a number of things I never knew about them until recently.

• It remains a bit of a mystery as to why the western US states don't have the wonder of lightening bugs. There are some species that don't actually glow, and they can be found in sections of the west. There are also some parts of Utah that have glowing lightening bugs. It's nice to know there are still mysteries around.

• Fireflies have been having habitat problems, just as many wild creatures have. They live, breed, lay their eggs, and are born in the same area. Pave over that area and no more fireflies around. They don't relocate. That's sad.

• To help our nightlights to keep on glowing, let your grass grow a little longer. Have trees and dense shrubs around your property. They also like leaf piles and rotty wood around. Add water features to your yard - even a bird bath will do. Keep your outdoor lighting to a minimum. And most importantly - do not use chemicals and pesticides that will kill all the larvae. 

• There's a program where you can certify your backyard as a Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation. Pretty cool. I may have to do this myself. You can also sign up to participate in a Firefly Watch to help scientists learn more about the evening lightshows.

•  There's a place in Tennessee where there are annual Firefly Watches. Thousands of fireflies flicker in synchronicity. This is going on my dream trip list.

• This is cool and sad at the same time. Fireflies have dedicated light organs that are located under their abdomens. The insects take in oxygen and, inside special cells, combine it with a substance called luciferin to produce light with almost no heat.  But also, luciferin is used in many medical research projects. It is used used as markers to detect blood clots and tuberculosis cells, as well as other research. Luckily, there is a synthetic luciferin available, although some place still harvest fireflies for the chemical.

• That twinkling glow is created by the most perfect light source. 100% of the energy in the chemical reaction is used for light. No heat is created.

I like to think of fireflies as the harbingers of summer. They are the singers of the warm days, the fairies that light the path. They are a part of the magic of nature,