Fireflies

In the dark around the river, I saw spots light shining. They looked like stars but they were moving. Yes, they were fireflies. But, it happened many years ago. Now, it’s difficult to find fireflies because they are disappearing.

Why Are Fireflies Disappearing?

Scientists believe that many factors cause fireflies disappear. Female fireflies usually lay their fertilized eggs on or just below the surface of the ground. When the eggs hatch, the larvae grow in rotting wood in the forest. And the problem is many forests in our beloved earth are being paved.

Fireflies love to grow and play around the river, stream and lake. But, our waterways are seeing more development and noisy boat traffic. Beside that, many lakes and river are not clean any more. Use of pesticides can also make lakes and rivers are poisoned. It’s really uncomfortable to be in such a noisy and dirty place.

What about light pollution? Of course, it can disturb fireflies too. They use their flashing lights to communicate each other, and sometimes across large groups of thousands of insects. So, what happen if we use too much light in the night everywhere? Light from houses, cars, building, lights along the road and many others. Since there are less forest in the Earth, they are gone.

What Do Fireflies Eat?

Fireflies larvae live on the ground, under bark, and in moist swampy places. They eat earthworms, snails and slugs, plus they may scavenge certain small dead animals and other organic material. They have been seen following slime trails to their slug and snail victims.

Light Production

A firefly can produce light from it’s body through a chemical reaction called bioluminescence. This process occurs in specialised light-emitting organs, usually on a firefly’s lower abdomen. The enzyme luciferase acts on luciferin, in the presence of magnesium ions, ATP (adenosene triphosphate), and oxygen to produce light.

Written by SAA