Second Nature Watching Fireflies

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By Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center une is the month when our meadows begin to twinkle with the magic of fireflies. Who among us does not have childhood memories of watching and catching these mysterious beetles? This summer, we encourage you to plan some special firefly evenings with your children. By learning a bit more about fireflies beforehand, your observations will not only be richer, but can help scientists find out if fireflies are among the insects whose populations are declining by participating in a fun, easy, citizen science project called Firefly Watch. There are 20 to 30 species of fireflies in the Northeast, and not even firefly specialists can tell them all apart without a microscope. However, each species has a unique flash pattern. The patterns can vary in length of the flash and the length of the pause between flashes. Some fireflies flash multiple times, pause and then repeat. Some have a pattern that mixes short and long flashes, like Morse code. The color of the flashes also varies. There are three different groups of flashing fireflies. Each group has a slightly different tint to its flashes. The Photinus genus has a yellow-green flash. These are the most common fireflies.

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Photuris fireflies are larger, and have a greener flash color. The third genus, Pyractomena, has an orange light, like the ember from a fire. Fireflies also differ in their flight patterns. Some fly low, others high. Some fly in a quick, steady way while others rise and fall. Chances are, at your firefly watching site, there will only be a few species on a given night. While you might not be able to identify them, you can give them your own names. See if you can figure out how many different species you can see, and then decide what to call them. This is a great way to get your kids thinking about the ways things can be classified, and also makes them more careful observers. Firefly watching is also a good chance to remind your children to be considerate of other lives. If you plan to catch fireflies and observe them in a jar, put a piece of moistened paper towel in the jar, too, so the little beetles don’t get dry. Fireflies should be kept and admired only for the time you are out watching them, and then released. After all, they have places to go and things to do, too. Also,

parentexpress • June 2016

remember not to handle fireflies if you’re wearing insect repellent. Visit the Firefly Watch website at legacy.mos.org/fireflywatch where you and your children will find a virtual habitat and can learn to distinguish among the three types of fireflies by flash color, learn to tell males from females by behavior and to recognize how flash patterns differ. You will also learn how to participate in the citizen science project. Data collection is easy! To learn more, come out to the Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center Saturday, June 18, at 8 p.m. for a free training program. We will share an educational slide show and then head out into the fields to practice collecting data and spotting different flash patterns and colors.