DOALL, M.; CARLSON, A.D.; State University of New York at Stony Brook; State University of New York at Stony Brook: Talking to fireflies: Recruiting the next generation of firefly biologists

What is it about fireflies that make them beautiful and fascinating? It is their flashes, of course. Whereas butterflies have colorful patterns that lend themselves to picture books, fireflies are drab, but their flashes inspire delight. Yet despite being one of the most beloved of insects in our society, most people don?t even know why fireflies flash. Our book strives to answer this and many other questions about firefly biology, as well as to encourage younger generations to actively explore and investigate their own questions through the scientific method. To accomplish these goals, our book includes an interactive video in DVD format that shows up-close and in real time the fascinating behaviors and interactions of fireflies, such as the predatory behavior of “femme fatales”, and the courtship and mating behaviors of several Photinus and Photuris species. We show not only how to identify fireflies by their flash codes, but how to actively participate in their courtship behavior, and even “talk to fireflies”! We demonstrate backyard experiments with fireflies that young scientists can perform with simple and inexpensive equipment, and even provide some unanswered questions about firefly behavior for children and adults to attempt to answer. Our video also illustrates other aspects of firefly biology such as their development and life history, and their physiology and biochemistry. Here, we preview some excerpts from our videos.