Glowing Secrets of the Summer Night
It’s officially that magical time of year… when the sun sets late, the air is thick with summer, and tiny lights start to twinkle in fields, meadows, and backyards across Maine. It’s firefly season!
To uncover what’s really going on in a firefly meadow after dark, we recommend watching our 2023 Speaker Series talk with Don Salvatore, former science educator at Boston’s Museum of Science and co-founder of the Firefly Watch Community Science Project. It’s fascinating, funny, and full of surprises. Learn the answers to questions like:
- Is a firefly actually a type of fly?
- Do all firefly species glow, even when they’re young?
- Are fireflies endangered?
- What types of habitats do fireflies prefer to live in?
- What are some ways people can help support firefly populations in their own yards?
Want even more firefly facts? We also recommend the Ologies podcast episode on fireflies with expert Sara Lewis, titled “Sparklebuttology.” Yes, you read that right. It’s brilliant and hilarious, and it dives even deeper into these glowing insects’ lives.
Whether you’re watching the flashes with childlike wonder or peering closer to decode the drama, we hope you take a moment this season to appreciate the science, strategy, and sparkle of Maine’s fireflies.
