Happy July, ScribbleFriends!

My favorite fireworks are here! Lightning bugs. Some people call them fireflies, but they really aren’t bugs or flies. Lightning bugs are actually a member of the beetle family and there are more than 125 different species of lightning bugs in North America. Each species has their own secret code. So when you see them blinking at one another, they’re actually letting the other lightning bugs know who they are. With most species, the boys fly and the girls hang out on the ground. A typical conversation (loosely translated) would go something like this:

Boy – “Hey, I’m a Photinus minuta looking for another Photinus minuta that would like to mate.”
Girl – “Down here! I’m a Photinus minuta.”
Boy – “Sweet! I’ll be right there.”

The boy lightning bugs have to stay on their toes, because the girls in some species can be tricky. They learn how to blink like other species and when the boy shows up for a date, they eat them!

Boy – “Wait a minute, you’re not a Photinus minuta!”
Girl – “Chomp!”

Gross. Do you have many lightning bugs where you live? Have you ever caught a lightning bug?

Your pal,

ScribbleMonster