Where have all the fireflies gone?

Fireflies are to me one of the glorious wonders of God’s creation. Though I have known of their existence in early childhood, I grew up in a town, now a city, thus, had no early personal encounters with these creatures.

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But there is something exotic and unique about a beetle (family, Lampyridae) that fascinates most humans with their light-emitting capability.

Also known as lightning bugs, fireflies are found in all continents except Antarctica, and prefer wet habitats like meadows, gardens and woodland edges. Their light emission is called bioluminescence, a “cold light” produced through a chemical reaction in the abdomen through a substance, luciferin, and an enzyme. This light emission is an attraction for the opposite sex. If a female is attracted to a light-flashing male, it emits its own light to attract the male.