A butterfly net can be a helpful tool but is certainly not necessary. Collect a few plastic or glass jars with small holes punched in the lids and put some grass and part of a damp paper towel in the bottom. Although our lightning bugs may not be quite as organized, it’s fairly easy to organize a viewing and catching party among your family members. There are fireflies in Southeast Asia and along the East Coast from Georgia to Pennsylvania that light up in unison, putting on a nightly synchronized light show. The firefly species found in Arkansas tend to light up randomly, flashing their way through our backyards and parks and making catching them even more of a challenge for kids and the young at heart. Aside from this Photuris species, it is believed that most lightning bugs do not eat during their three-to-four-week adult life. When the unsuspecting male arrives, she eats him and passes the toxins in his body into her eggs as a chemical defense. One species of female firefly actually mimics a different species through her flashes to attract dinner, not a mate. If you pay close attention, you will be able to notice differing flashing patterns of the lightning bugs around you.
The flashes and patterns differ by species. The females generally remain in the grass or on bushes and shrubs, flashing to attract the males to them. The fireflies we see rising from the grass are usually males, using the chemical reaction in their tails to communicate with females of their same species. During the day, fireflies hide out in grass, vegetation or wooded areas, especially near water, but in the evening, they begin their show. This is why you probably won’t see lightning bugs on a summer vacation to the Mountain West or Pacific Northwest. They thrive in humid tropical and temperate zones, which means the Arkansas heat that drives us inside to our fans and air conditioners allows them to survive.
There are nearly two thousand species of lightning bug living on every continent except Antarctica. Lightning bugs, or fireflies, are actually neither bug nor fly, but are members of the Lampyridae beetle family. As we emerge into a slightly cooler Arkansas summer night, lightning bugs emerge from their hiding places to rekindle the magic of summer. For the next few months, unless they’re enticed with the promise of a water sprinkler, swimming pool, or popsicles, most Arkansas children will balk at their parents’ suggestion to “just go outside.” This may make filling the days a little more difficult, but it also makes the evenings a little more enjoyable, even magical. Send us feedback.August has arrived in Arkansas in all its hot and humid glory, and with it, the doldrums from a shortened time frame to spend outdoors. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lightning bug.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. John Kass,, 2 July 2019 The title comes from a childhood dream of catching lightning bugs in jars and holding them up for all to see. 2019 And after the ribs, in the cool of the evening, with the little kids chasing lightning bugs in the backyard, your hosts might bring out some cold, sweet watermelon and a pot of rich, dark coffee. 2019 The poems furnish an elegant bachelor space, a man cave with soft touches and a long prospect on the past, in which Wright’s memories, like lightning bugs, appear.ĭan Chiasson, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2020 Most miracles be small- lightning bugs flicking off & on 2020 Fireflies, aka lightning bugs, are facing a triple extinction threat from habitat loss, artificial light and pesticide use, new research suggests.Īshley Shaffer, USA TODAY, 5 Feb.
Laura Johnston, cleveland, 1 June 2020 In another scene where what’s going on around the main actors is more distracting than their dialogue, Shannon brings Grace to a place to propose that, according to the characters, is filled with beautiful lightning bugs.Ĭarly Mallenbaum, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 28 June 2022 Then, one by one, pick them out and do them, whether it’s riding bikes to get ice cream or catching lightning bugs in the backyard. Recent Examples on the Web In fact, Indiana’s state insect is a lightning bug.
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