Photinus pyralis: My favorite bug!

Photinus pyralis is the scientific name of the common eastern firefly, or lightning bug. I think these little beetles charm everyone, especially children. I know I loved them when I was a child growing up in St.Louis, where their almost-unreal tiny flashing lights are a common sight on summer nights. I admit that we used to catch them in our hands and put them in a jar, which was unkind. I don't know of any other wild creature that's so easy to grab out of the air or off a resting place, though I find it very hard to get a good photo: the one above is the best I could do, and I couldn't get him with his light on!

Last night, I just saw my first lightning bugs for this year, though they've probably been around before now. In fact, the first ones should have appeared in our part of Michigan as early as May. I guess I just wasn't looking, or that I've been going to bed too early, before it's dark enough for them to come out of their daytime hiding places. I still take a childish pleasure when I see the very small glow as they flash a signal to one another in the darkening garden.

Why do I call them lightning bugs? Why do you (maybe) call them fireflies?

An article in Business Insider from 2018 included the above map, showing where people use the two terms. I grew up in Missouri, and have lived most of my adult life in Michigan: both lightning-bug states, though it's a bit complicated in Michigan. The article, titled "Some Americans say 'firefly' while others say 'lightning bug,' and a series of maps highlights an interesting theory why"  The article also mentions other names for these appealing creatures: "candlefly, firebob, firebug, glowworm, jack-o-lantern, lamp bug, or will-o'-the-wisp."

Some experts quoted in this article speculate that the term "lightning bug" is more common in the parts of the country that experience many lightning strikes, while the term "firefly" is more common in areas with wildfires. Personally, I doubt this, as many areas have both lightning storms AND wildfires. I just hope these wonderful summer creatures don't disappear because of climate change or too much pesticide or any one of the other terrible risks to good features of our environment.

A Lightning Bug Artist

Radim Schreiber is an artist who specializes in nature photography, especially images of lightning bugs. We encountered him at the Ann Arbor Art Fair a few years ago, and bought one of his photos. Assuming that we are able to go to the Art Fair this year, we hope to see him again (he's scheduled to be there)!

An example from the artist's website: "Amber Firefly." (link)
I can't imagine how he manages to take such amazing photos.

Lightning Bug Science

Needless to say, the fascinating ability of lightning bugs to light up and flash their little lights has been widely studied by various scientists, and much has been written about the biochemistry of their lights and the reasons why they signal each other. For an amusing discussion of the science of lightning bugs, see this: 

How many fireflies would it take to match the brightness of the Sun?

Blog post © 2023 mae sander

Shared with Eileen's Saturday Critters