WNY:
I’ts firefly season and they are by the river and in my backyard
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Video :
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The Lampyridae are a family of insects in the beetleorder Coleoptera with over 2,000 described species. They are soft-bodied beetles that are commonly called fireflies or lightning bugs for their conspicuous use of bioluminescence during twilight to attract mates or prey. Fireflies produce a "cold light", with no infrared or ultraviolet frequencies. This chemically produced light from the lower abdomen may be yellow, green, or pale red, with wavelengths from 510 to 670 nanometers.[2]Some species such as the dimly glowing "blue ghost" of the Eastern US are commonly thought to emit blue light (<490 nanometers), though this is a false perception of their truly green emission light due to the Purkinje effect.[3]
Fireflies are found in temperate and tropical climates. Many are found in marshes or in wet, wooded areas where their larvae have abundant sources of food. en.wikipedia.org/...
“Performing one of nature’s most enchanting spectacles, fireflies (or lightning bugs) are the stars of the insect world.
Despite what their common names suggest, fireflies are neither flies nor bugs, but beetles from the family Lampyridae. There are over 2,000 described species of these nocturnal wonders.
Unlike ground-dwelling, luminescent glowworms, adult fireflies are winged. They flit around all continents bar Antarctica, preferring warm and wet wooded habitats. In Australia, fireflies inhabit the forests and mangroves along the coast of New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory.
What gives these insects their trademark glow? Fireflies are masters of bioluminescence. Bioluminescence is the production of light in a living organism by the chemical reaction chemiluminescence.
Fireflies have light-producing organs called lanterns under their abdomen. Lanterns contain photocytes, specialised cells that convert chemical energy into light. Oxygen reacts with the pigment luciferin within the photocytes. The chemical reaction, catalyzed by the enzyme luciferase (a protein that speeds up the rate of the reaction), produces a flash of light.
Fireflies produce patterns of light flashes, rather than a steady shine. Intermittent release of nitric oxide allows oxygen to cyclically build up in the photocytes, fueling bursts of reactions. The light stops once the oxygen is used up, only flashing again after more oxygen has accumulated.
Fireflies are remarkably efficient, producing a ‘cold light’. All the energy in the reaction is used to create light, rather than wasted as heat. These luminaries also vary in their glow, from yellow-green to orange, depending on the arrangement of luciferin molecules. In North America, fireflies active during the dark emit green bioluminescence, while species active during dusk emit a yellow light to ensure they’re seen amongst the greenery.
Bioluminescence is not to be confused with fluorescence, which doesn’t involve chemical reactions. An object that fluoresces absorbs and re-emits an external stimulating light (like a torch or moonlight). Without the stimulating light, there is no glow.blogs.unimelb.edu.au/...
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