Become a Citizen Scientist: Join the Firefly Watch

by Kim, June 30, 2009 at 8:24am

Last night I was walking in my neighborhood in the cool evening, just as the air was thickening with darkness and the greenery was shifting towards black. Then I saw what for me is summer incarnate. I saw a firefly. Whether living in the mountains, where the lightning bugs descended in droves every night, or the city, where they were a rare and appreciated visitor, fireflies have always been a part of my warm months. Depending on who you ask, however, their population may be on the wane, or some species may be lucking out from the complex set of changes that will be global warming.

Paying attention to fireflies is not all about nostalgia. ABC reports scientists see lightning bugs as illuminating our understanding of ecosystem health like 'a "canary in a coal mine."' It's also not all about climate change. Light pollution may be responsible for disrupting the creatures' mating signals, so they make another good reason not to over-light your home's exterior. Switching to motion-sensor lights will save money and also may keep you from interfering with an insect declaration of love. (If you want to be very nosy, you can learn how to step in to the nightly serenade by flashing a pen light in firefly-ese.

Lightning bugs appeared no less magical to other humans thorough the ages. They are the subject of myth and of much poetry. Read this cute illustrated African myth about Firefly being tricked by Anansi the spider.

According to Robert Frost, the allure of the firefly comes from the fact that they mirror our own flickering, unsustainable ambitions:

And then there is this beautiful one from Sir Muhammed Iqbal, translated by Rafiq Kathwari:

Want to know more, and better yet, do a little something to help out our flickering friends? Sign up for the Citizen Science Firefly Watch. By monitoring the firefly activity in a small area, you can do some on-the-ground science for the Science Museum of Boston. You can also learn more about these fascinating insects and what other environmental factors may be affecting their populations.

Time-lapse creative commons image: Beige Alert, Flickr.