We believe it was the great poet Rihanna who once sang, "Beautiful like fireworks in the sky," or something like that. Was she singing about fireflies? Probably. Ok, where were we? Ah yes, happy 4th of July everyone!
We're nature nerds, so fireworks for us is the show put on by the synchronous fireflies. Also called lightning bugs, these glowing wonders are a type of beetle. There are only a few species of firefly in North America whose individuals are known to synchronize their flashing light patterns. Photinus carolinus is a variety of synchronous firefly that will sync up their bioluminescence to put on a dazzling display in early summer.
Primarily found in Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and Pennsylvania, this species of firefly will produce a flash pattern that is a series of 5-8 flashes, followed by a pause of about 8 seconds. This pattern is then repeated. Initially, the flashing appears random, but the period of darkness is synchronized.
Scientists studying the synchronous firefly have determined that the males flash in unison as a way for the female to be certain she is responding to one of her species. As more males start joining in, the flashing will also begin to synchronize, and entire sections of the forest will pulsate with light!
Photo at Great Smoky Mountain National Park by David Caldwell (sharetheexperience)
Program Coordinator, Texas Master Naturalist Program at Texas A&M AgriLife
6dNow she’s got her ducks in a row!