Enchanting Fireflies Light Up the Night

Interesting Facts About Fireflies

Fireflies in Mason Jar by Benjamin Lehman via Flickr

I've always found fireflies captivating. As a kid, I was sure they were magical, and deep down, I guess I still feel that way. There is something mystical about these tiny creatures as they flit out of the woods into grassy areas at night. 


As a child, catching lightning bugs was the highlight of the summer. Maybe it was the privilege of staying up until after dark, or the fact that the adults sat around talking in subdued voices that set the stage, but it was a magical time. If we were lucky, and we often were, our mother would let us take jar with several lightning bugs to bed with us for the night. We would happily drift off to sleep to the rhythmic blinking that created a soft glow in the night. Of course, when one escaped through the holes punched in the lid, as they always did, we got the uncommon delight of watching as the fireflies flitted about the room. I imagined then, as I do today, that they were actually fairies that the grownups were too old and blind to see.

• While some fireflies produce larvae that glows, called a glow worm, the fireflies in Maine do not. Technically, Maine fireflies are called a Big Dipper Fireflies (Photinis pyralis).
• Fireflies use their blinking lights to attract a mate, but they also communicate other messages, like claiming a territory.
• The adult firefly is short-lived and dies shortly after mating. It does not eat.
• The firefly larvae eat worms, snails and slugs - making them very garden friendly.
• In Maine, fireflies are called Lightning Bugs.
• Female lightning bugs generally stay in one place, such as nestled in shrubs or in the grass, while the male flies from place to place in an attempt to attract a female.

If you've never caught lightning bugs in a jar, now is the time. I saw the first lightning bugs of the season last night.