There are few things more charming, in every sense of the word, than fireflies at night. The memory of fireflies when we were children can be one of the most fantastic: tiny insects emitting lights here and there, hallucinatingly. But aside from their charismatic light show, fireflies are wonderful insects. Consider the following:
1. They are alchemists (at least poetically):
It is not that they transmute metals into gold, but they do create light as if by magic. When a chemical called luciferin (note the same Latin root as Lucifer) within its abdomen/tail combines with oxygen, calcium, and adenosine triphosphate, a chemical reaction occurs that generates spectacular light.
2. They create the most efficient light in the world:
The light produced by fireflies is the most efficient light ever made. Almost 100 percent of the energy in the chemical reaction is emitted as light; by comparison, a light bulb only emits 10 percent of its energy as light, the other 90 percent is lost as heat.
3. They use their light as flirtation:
Each species has a specific pattern of flashes of light, and males use this pattern to alert females of the same species that they would be a good match for them. When a female finds a promising match, she responds with her own flash pattern.
4. Some species synchronize their lights:
Science isn’t sure why this happens, but some species synchronize in a beautiful play of luminescence. In this video you can see an example:
5. They taste horrible:
Now that eating bugs has become fashionable, at least the fireflies will be safe because apparently they taste horrible. His blood contains a substance called lucibufagin which is a defense steroid that has an unbearable taste. Predators associate the bad taste with the firefly’s light and learn not to eat glowing bugs.
6. They are disappearing from the world:
If you see fewer fireflies every summer, you’re not alone. Populations are in decline due to a combination of light pollution, pesticide use, and habitat destruction. According to the Smithsonian, if you pave a field where fireflies live, they won’t migrate to another field, they just disappear forever. The extinction of its light is the extinction of its species.
A world without fireflies would undoubtedly be a sadder world.
To help preserve them you can save yourself chemicals; let snails and worms live in your garden (some feed on these); provide shelter in hedges or leafy plants; plant flowers (some feed on these); reduce the light in your house (they get confused with artificial light and burn to death); not capture them.
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