Firefly - The Earth's Magic

One pleasant morning, my dad woke me up to show a Jugnu lying on my bed. Even though getting up before dawn is a pain, this was the first time I wanted to get up a bit earlier every morning only to see these tiny flying lights in my room. I was fortunate to live in a government quarter house surrounded by greenery, with a hill behind it so I could enjoy seeing one of nature's magnificent creatures, fireflies. Neither insects nor bugs; read on to find out what they are.

Firefly comes from the family Lampyridae. The word comes from the Latin term Lampyris which means glow-worm. Coming to the question of what they are, a firefly is a type of beetle mostly characterized by long cylindrical bodies of black or brown colour with yellow or red markings. Fireflies are also called glow-worms because all fireflies have a glowing larval stage, though an adult may or may not glow. There are about 2000 species of fireflies worldwide. Similar to all beetles, fireflies undergo complete metamorphosis with 4 stages- egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Now the sole purpose of these adult ones is to reproduce. Using species-specific patterns, they flash and locate compatible individuals of the opposite sex and mate. Some adults feed on nectar, and pollen, some feed on other fireflies, while some don't eat at all. Do you remember reading that fireflies use flash signals to attract males but, in some cases, these romantic beetles are not all wine and roses? Females of the genus photuris have learned to copy other fireflies' flash patterns to attract males of other species. When one arrives, they suckle on them. These females were nicknamed "Femme fatale- and the phenomenon they show is called mimicking.

Fireflies emit light through bioluminescence which includes enzyme-mediated reactions. At the tip of the firefly's abdomen, there is a presence of organ called a 'lantern'. It has special photic cells which consist of luciferin-luciferase components to produce light,

Luciferin (organic molecule) undergoes oxidation in presence of the enzyme luciferase and with the help of molecular oxygen.

Luciferin àluciferyl adenylate à oxyluciferin (electronically excited state)

Oxyluciferin relaxing to the ground state is accompanied by the emission of photons of light. The light produced is called 'cold light' as this light is not supplemented with heat.

I am sure you must be curious by now about knowing where they can be found. Fireflies live in various habitats. Many species thrive in forests, fields, or the margins between them. Most firefly species have one thing in common: standing water. They live near ponds, streams, marshes, rivers, and lakes. Seasonal pools and small depressions that hold water during firefly mating season can also provide the habitat fireflies need. Most firefly species live at the margins where forests or fields meet water. Fireflies are found in temperate and tropical regions on every continent except Antarctica. In India, only 7-8 species of fireflies are left and The Western Ghats is one of the best places to see them. Never use a big torch while watching them as light affects the fireflies, do not collect larvae or the adults as fireflies are mostly site-specific and they don’t live long. While walking, be aware of where you step, don’t litter, and be quiet. Just enjoy watching fireflies and the fore

The population of fireflies has been decreasing substantially all over the world. Light pollution stands as the tallest problem for fireflies. Humans’ night-time artificial light creates havoc in the life of nocturnal animals, as most fireflies rely on bioluminescent courtship signals to find their mates. When the night environment is too bright, it's difficult for them to see one another's signals, and hence can never mate. Other threats to fireflies are pesticides as eggs and larvae are found in or near the soil surface. These insecticides or pesticides kill the larva.

Fireflies are a symbol of different emotions in different countries. For example, In Japan, where they are called 'Hotaru', they are a metaphor for passionate love. Their lights are thought to be the souls of soldiers who died in the war. Most of us have never seen a firefly, only heard about them. Here are a few steps we can take so that they don't live only in our memories.

1. Switch off the lights. Lights at night confuse fireflies and interfere with their reproduction.

2. Plant native. Plant native trees and grasses to support habitat loss. This helps all wildlife!

3. Minimize the use of pesticides. Pesticides and weed killers affect fireflies adversely.

4. Do not catch fireflies. Adult fireflies live only long enough to mate and lay eggs. Catching fireflies in glass jars is a nostalgic pastime, but think how sad it is to waste one precious moment of a firefly’s brief existence trapped in a glass prison. Let them find their mates and complete their life cycle without disturbance.

5. Don’t over-mow your lawn: Fireflies tend to stay close to the ground, and mowing too often can destroy some of their favourite places to roam.

6. Alerting your neighbours: This is probably the best step you can take. Imagine how many more fireflies you’d see if the whole neighbourhood agreed to just turn off the lights, or take a few other measures to support the fireflies' existence!

I believe fireflies are special messengers that whisper in the night and are magical in the true sense spreading hope in the form of light. So, let’s come together and restore the earth’s magic before it’s too late!

~Vagisha Gupta

References:

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/11-cool-things-you-never-knew-about-fireflies/

https://en.gaonconnection.com/will-fireflies-live-only-in-our-memories/

https://www.whatshot.in/mumbai/head-to-these-5-places-to-see-millions-of-fireflies-c-5889

https://www.adoptananimalkits.com/advocate/how-to-help-animals/params/post/1276007/save-the fireflies

https://www.nrpa.org/blog/help-fireflies-before-theyre-gone-in-a-flash/

https://in.musafir.com/blog/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-firefly-festival