God has some mysterious creations, the lightning bug or firefly is one of them! To this day I still get awestruck at this tiny bug that emits light in the darkness. The firefly is my favorite bug if anyone were to ask me, “What’s your favorite bug?” With that said, I wanted to look deeper into the firefly and came across some cool facts I thought you’d enjoy and share with your family. Enjoy and be gentle!
Firefly Fact #1
There isn’t just one kind of firefly. There are more than 2000 species of fireflies in the world! That’s a lot of light.
Fact #2
Speaking of natural light, the firefly light is the most efficient light in the WORLD! Yep. Bug light is the best light in the world…natural light. The sun doesn’t count. Let’s face it, what other bug or animal produces its own light?
Actually, there are some other bioluminescent species that exist on this planet, however, most of them live deep in the ocean.
Fact #3
What else is cool about the firefly glow? Not all light from the firefly is the same color. The glow can be yellow, green, orange, or blue! How cool is that? Way cool.
Firefly Facts #4
Their handy blink and frequency of the blink are how fireflies communicate with each other. I kind of like to think of them using the Morris Code. They also use their light as a mating signal. Oo, la la!
Fact #5
Fireflies do not taste good. If I were you I’d cancel that side of firefly and stick with your kale. Fireflies are actually poisonous to some animals if they eat them. When the firefly is attacked it releases a little blood. Ew. But the blood contains a chemical that creates a bigger taste and emits poison! It’s how they protect themselves.
Fact #6
Okay, this one is super important. Firefly numbers are reducing in the world. Some of this is due to climate change, but another reason is because of their habitats. The healthy living environments are being destroyed; not to mention, they are also being ‘harvested’ for their luciferase (their glow substance). Luciferase is used for scientific research forensic tests and food safety. They do have a way to make this stuff synthetically, but people still kill these amazing bugs (beetles) for the natural stuff…
What can we do to save the fireflies?
We can make a firefly habitat!
Fireflies love to eat snails, worms, and slugs. Where there are snails, worms, and slugs, you’ll likely find fireflies. A garden is a perfect place for fireflies to enjoy life. Firefly larvae enjoy a good pile of wet leaves. It is suggested to make a compost pile of leaves and to keep the leaves moist throughout the year. The leaves will attract the slugs, and the baby fireflies will eat them as they grow. In the Spring, put some of the leaves in your garden as compost. Do this every year and watch your firefly population grow!
Fact #7
Fireflies also enjoy these plants: Passionflower, Morning Glory, Goldenrod, Asters, and River Fern. They also like trees! Good choices are Sycamore, Cottonwood, Elm, Bur Oak, Dogwood, and Trumpet Creeper.
How do we safely catch them?
We can catch them carefully. When they land you or when you gently catch them, simply put them in a glass jar with many holes punched through the top for oxygen. Place a damp paper towel in the jar to prevent them from drying out. Put a slice of apple in there for them to munch on. Please only keep the fireflies for 1 day. They only live for two-three months, so let them be free and enjoy life.
Want the glow to last longer?
If you want the fun glow and blinking to last longer, first let the fireflies go, then buy fairy lights and put them in a jar. I personally love these lights. The solar-powered ones are pretty cool, I keep them up all year round.
That does it on firefly facts! Hope you learned something new. Be sure to download my free Firefly Fun Sheet! Thanks for visiting!
References: FireFly.org and EcoWatch.
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