Lightning bugs are so ingrained in our childhood memories. Those few species that carry their carnivorous lifestyle into adulthood switch from snails to other fireflies.

Some species of firefly larvae have gills and are aquatic, while others live in trees.Īs adults, most fireflies feed on nectar and pollen, but some don’t seem to eat at all. Fireflies inhabit forests, fields, and marshes near bodies of water because they require a moist environment to survive. Firefly light can be yellow, green, or orange.įireflies thrive in warm, humid climates, which is why they are found on almost every continent on Earth. Luciferin is heat resistant and provides the glow. The firefly’s glow is the result of the reaction of two chemicals found in their tails, luciferase and luciferin. Some firefly eggs emit a faint glow if disturbed.Įxperts theorize the ability to emit light helps larvae signal to predators that they aren’t appetizing, since part of the firefly defense mechanism is to produce foul-tasting steroids. Bioluminescence is present in firefly eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults, and even some larvae living below the ground or underwater glow. No matter the life cycle, all stages of fireflies glow. By repeating this exchange, the male hones in on her, and the rest of the story is happily ever after.Īdult fireflies don’t live long, averaging about two months just long enough to mate and lay eggs. Typically, the male flies low to the ground, flashing a signal with the light organ on his abdomen, and a female resting on vegetation returns his communiqué. To find a mate, fireflies use a species-specific pattern to locate compatible individuals of the opposite sex. When the metamorphosis is complete, the adult firefly is ready to emerge, usually about 10 days to several weeks after pupation.Īdult – When the adult firefly emerges, it has one purpose, to reproduce. In a process called histolysis, the larva’s body is broken down, and special groups of transformative cells are activated, triggering biochemical processes that transform the insect from a larva into its adult form. In other species, the larva attaches itself to a tree’s bark, hanging upside down by the hind end.ĭuring pupation, a remarkable transformation takes place during the pupal stage. When the larva is ready, usually in late spring, some species construct a mud chamber in the soil and settle inside it. Pupa – Different species of firefly larva pupate in different ways. To consume food, the larvae will capture and inject its victim with digestive enzymes to immobilize it and liquefy its remains. At night the larvae hunt and eat slugs, snails, and worms. This is one of the many reasons to keep leaf litter in our garden beds. Larva – Larvae emerge from their eggs in late summer, and live in the soil through the winter before pupating in the spring. These eggs usually hatch in three- to four-weeks. Fireflies prefer moist soils, and will lay eggs under mulch or leaf litter, where the soil is likely to stay moist. Like all beetles, fireflies undergo complete metamorphosis with four stages in their life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.Įgg – In mid-summer, mated females will deposit about 100 spherical eggs, singly or in clusters. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but a study shows, size matter! Females are more likely to mate with males who give them a larger nuptial gift.

The flash of a male firefly is only the first stage of courtship, and may not even be the most important. Males flash to attract females, and mating begins when the flash carries the right rhythm. It has been noted flashes of synchronous fireflies get out of synch for a few minutes after a car’s headlights pass. Light from buildings and streetlights make it difficult for fireflies to signal each other during mating season-meaning fewer fireflies. The reasons are still to be pinpointed but experts believe habitat loss and light pollution play a role by interfering with firefly flash patterns.

Instead, on the East coast at least, they remain in moist leaf litter and flash to a receptive mate. Another interesting fact about fireflies is most females don’t fly. Fireflies in the western United States, for example, lack the ability to produce light.

Did you know there are fireflies out West as well, but they don’t light up the sky at night? Despite their name, not all fireflies glow. There are more than 2,000 species of fireflies, a type of beetle.

Lightning bugs facts