F irelies A long the S usquehanna G reenway
The Susquehanna Greenway is aglow this month thanks to the bright lights of this Greenway na- tive and Pennsylvania state insect: the firefly. These small but mighty insects are hallmarks of summer. Their mesmerizing light shows capture the imaginations and the hearts of adventur- ers the world over, but how much do you really know about these talented creatures?
THEY GO BY MANY NAMES
If you’re from the New England or the West, you probably refer to them as ‘fireflies,’ but if you’re from the South or the Midwest ‘lightning bug’ is more common. However, these insects are ac- tually not a ‘fly’ nor a ‘bug.’ They are in fact members of the Lampyridae fam- ily of winged beetles; that’s right, they are bee- tles! The word Lampyridae actually comes from the Greek ‘lampein,’ which means ‘to shine.’ Compared to an incandescent light bulb, which only emits 10 percent of its energy as light, that’s pretty incredible.
actually one of the most efficient energy pro- ducers in the natural world. In fact, almost 100 percent of the energy they produce is emitted as light. WHY DO THEY EMIT LIGHT? Fireflies light up mainly to attract a mate. Male fireflies flash while hovering over tall grass or trees. If a female firefly decides she likes the male, she will respond with her own unique se- ries of flashes from lower on the ground. Since each species of firefly has its own unique flash, it’s important for females to figure out which males are the right ones. A good pick up line, like “you look flashy tonight,” can some- times help things along.
THEY UNDERGO A CHEMICAL REACTION IN THEIR ABDOMENS
This reaction produces their flash, which, de- pending on the species, can range from yellow, orange, and our favorite–GREEN. While more than 2,000 species bear the name “firefly,” not all of them glow. Those that are lucky enough to flash do so by mixing oxygen with a pigment called luciferin to generate light with very little heat. They are
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