One of the most beautiful shows on summer nights are, without a doubt, the fireflies. You are in the forest, in a garden, or in a dark place and that, suddenly, a thousand lights between green and yellow turn on seems magical. It is as if there are thousands of stars so close to you that you could even touch them.
The problem is that fireflies have been seen less and less for a long time, partly because of the lights in cities and towns that are relegating these animals to living in smaller and smaller areas. But would you like to attract them to your garden? If you’ve always wondered what they are like, their life cycle and how to have a garden full of them, here are the keys.
Characteristics of fireflies
Fireflies, also known as “light bugs”, isondúes (from the Isondú legend), light worms or cucuyos, are by far the best known animals, and perhaps the least “disgusting” because they are related with legends and with positive situations of these animals. However, what you may not know is that a firefly is considered a beetle that, at night, is capable of lighting up.
They belong to the lamprey family (Lampyridae) and there are currently around 2000 different species.
Fireflies are characterized by having several differentiated body parts: thin and articulated antennae (which are very important to orient themselves and to ensure that there is no danger), an elytra (forewings), and a prothorax (which is the first segment of the thorax of an insect, which covers almost the head).
However the most characteristic thing about fireflies is, without a doubt, their light. This occurs due to special light organs, which are located in the lower abdomen. When these insects absorb oxygen, it combines with a substance called luciferin, which causes light to be produced, without generating heat from it. This will be intermittent, and each species will shine in a different way, using it mainly to find a mate. In fact, they are able to turn the light on or off whenever they want. In addition, it also serves as a defense, because if a predator tries to attack them, they can use the light as a warning that they are not good feeding options.
You should also know that there is a difference between the male and the female. The first reaches its development like other coleopterans. On the other hand, the female will maintain the larval form in certain aspects, looking more like mealybugs than beetles (it will have stubby legs and will lack wings).
They like to live in temperate and warm areas and, on summer nights, it is (or was). However, although they prefer warm temperatures, they like humidity a lot, which is why it is found mainly in Europe, Asia and America. Specifically in areas where there is water, forests or swamps.
The life cycle of fireflies
The life cycle of a firefly is not too long as it only lasts about 2 years. In that time, it goes through four different phases: egg or embryo, larva, pupa, and adult firefly.
The egg phase appears when the adult specimens have mated in summer. The female can lay between 50 and 150 eggs, usually in humid areas of the ground, or in places close to it since it is important that the larvae are there to get food.
Those eggs are known to glow slightly, a defense mechanism against being touched by other animals.
After 3-4 weeks the eggs give rise to the larvae, which will be in charge of hunting their food, such as snails, slugs, worms … To do this, they have an enzyme that, when injected into their “victims”, paralyzes them, thus helping them to eat them without resistance.
This phase lasts about a year (and we already tell you that it is the longest).
After a year, the larvae begin to move less and less and a “pupa” forms around them where they metamorphose. This can last about 10 days or several weeks. And after breaking that shell, an adult firefly will emerge.
Curiosities
Although fireflies are well known, the truth is that we do not know much about them. But that can be solved if we tell you about some of its curiosities. For example:
You know what in Asia and in Tennessee, in the United States, many fireflies synchronize? It is as if they made a choreography of lights, with the aim of attracting females. Thus, they are lighting and extinguishing in such a way that it is quite a show (and a tourist event as well).
Now, Do you know they are poisonous? Not all, but there are some that can have serious consequences, even for humans, because they are capable of injecting a paralyzing chemical (even as adults). What’s more, they are even capable of absorbing the poison of other species. Normally this happens when they eat other fireflies (yes, some are carnivorous, some even cannibals (the females eat the males)) and pass it to the eggs so that they can develop more powerful poisons.
How to attract them to the garden
If after everything you have read you want to have fireflies in your garden, you should know that you have to provide them with very suitable conditions. To do this, try the following:
- Place a source. They need an aquatic environment so that there is humidity in the environment.
- Don’t remove the mud. Or the mud. Fireflies love that because that way they immobilize their food, plus they could lay their eggs there and have fireflies insured.
- Put flowers. They feed on pollen so it doesn’t hurt if you give them the food they are looking for.
- Add woods and logs to your garden décor. The objective is that they can protect themselves and even leave their eggs there.
- Don’t light up the garden. Fireflies do not like to be in places full of light, they prefer total darkness. So try to keep the garden in the dark.
- Don’t use pesticides. Not only are they not good for plants, but insects flee from their scent.
This way, you don’t make sure they will go, but you will be more likely to do so. Would you like to have fireflies in the garden?
One thought on “Fireflies: characteristics, curiosities and how to attract them to the garden”