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July 1, 2021  |  By Ben Ivers

Firefly

Firefly Live

SAY'S FIREFLY - IUCN Conservation Status: LEAST CONCERN

Fireflies are bioluminescent, meaning they are able to light up

At the end of June there was an explosion of fireflies in my backyard that cause me to take this photo. Some people call these bioluminescent creatures lightning bugs, while others call them fireflies. What's great about this photo is that you can actually see that there was a lightning storm going on at the same time. The clouds that are lit up a lighter shade of pinkish grey were vibrant from the lightning.

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There are a lot of interesting facts to uncover about the fireflies pictured here. First off, how do they emit their tiny flashes of yellow light? In order for these little beetles to have bioluminescence, or light up, a chemical reaction must occur in their body. Fireflies have a light-producing organ in their body that combines oxygen with calcium, adenosine triphosphate, and luciferin in the presence of luciferase. This combination causes light to be emitted. The light emission process is carefully controlled by the lightning bug.

That brings up another interesting question, why do they light up at all? Not all firefly species are bioluminescent, but of the species that light up, there seem to be two main reasons that they light up. For larval fireflies, the bioluminescence signals to predators that they are distasteful. The distastefulness comes from defensive steroids that they produce. In adult lightning bugs, the bioluminescence is used for courtship. Many species have different patterns of flashing that help them to distinguish the different species as well as members of the opposite sex.

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With most species of fireflies, it is the males that we see flying about and flashing. The females are typically stationary while the males fly about proving their viability. It has been studied that males with a higher flash rate and higher brightness are more attractive to the female fireflies.

A firefly will use the bioluminescence for different purposes throughout its life

The Say's firefly is the state insect of Indiana!

The fireflies pictured here are most likely from the species Say's firefly, pyractomena angulata. This species of lightning bug is the state insect of Indiana, where I took this photo. These beetles first appear at the beginning of May, and will likely be done lighting up the night by the end of July.

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You might be asking yourself how I took this photo. Well, it's actually 8 photos that are all stitched together using a photo stacking tool. Each photo had an exposure length of 30 seconds, and it was actually pitch black when I was taking the photos. I had to choose between about 50 different photos, and some I had to throw out because the lightning from the storm in the background was so bright! The photo stacking allowed me to keep the same background, as my camera was stationary on a tripod, while inserting the flashes of the lightning bugs on top of the base photo. I hope you enjoy this photo from our In the Dark gallery!

THIS MONTH'S GALLERY
beetle dark indiana insect light night

Article by Ben Ivers

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Matt Hamas and Ben Ivers here. We are focused on fostering a greater understanding and appreciation of the environment. We endeavor to bring you a unique perspective of the wild. Our photos are being placed here for you to enjoy. Please feel free to download any of the photos for your personal use. We are currently seeking partners for printing and developing photos.

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