It’s the time of year when fireflies, or lightning bugs, are most abundant. However, Butler County Conservation says their population is declining. Intern Leah Cherry.
“Research shows that many species of lightning bugs are considered threatened due to habitat loss, increased use of pesticides and insecticides, climate change, and light pollution, since that interrupts their communication,” Cherry says. “In addition to losing a beautiful summer sight, losing the lightning bugs would also be detrimental for science because they contain two special chemicals called luciferase and luciferin that are used in cancer, cystic fibrosis, and cardiac disease research. Despite the decline, our parks make the perfect habitat for lightning bugs and they can be seen glowing at night.”
Cherry says there are numerous species of firefly.
“There are 2,000 species of lightning bugs worldwide and more than 150 species just in the United States. And each species has a unique flash pattern that communicates to others in the same species. In most North American ones, the female lightning bug will sit in the grass or vegetation watching for males while the males fly around flashing.”
