Firefly fans who'd like to see lightning bugs year-round are out of luck. The insect, which is a type of beetle, is usually seen only between spring and summer, with different species emerging at ...

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It’s not easy counting fireflies. Across North America, there are an estimated 170 fireflies species, which are technically beetles in the order Coleoptera, but inventorying them is a challenge. While ...

You’ve probably seen or heard at least once in your lifetime about fireflies – the famous light-emitting insects! They form the Lampyridae family and are sometimes called glowworms or lightning bugs.

Fireflies are the romantics of the insect world. In the summer months, they emerge from the ground with love on the brain. They only live for two to three weeks once they've become full adults and in ...

It looks like a scene from a fairytale. Over the past few decades, firefly population have been declining due to factors like light pollution, pesticides, and habitat loss. Now there's a ray of hope: ...

It’s summer, and you might spend your days at the pool, or hiking on the trails, but popular nighttime activities include catching those glowing beetles. Whether you refer to them as fireflies or ...

Memorial Day might mark the unofficial start of summer, but it isn’t real for me until I see groups of fireflies or lightning bugs. As a kid, chasing the gentle glowing bugs flying in seemingly random ...

A quintessential summer scene is a backyard illuminated with the fluorescent twinkle of lightning bugs—or fireflies? Err, wait—is it firefly vs. lightning bug? That’s a great question and one that has ...

After placing the captive firefly in a plastic bag, wildlife biologist Jason Davis tried to confirm its identity as a member of the rare photuris bethaniensis species. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY) This ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Most insects of this species have soft bodies, though, making it hard to find fossils and trace the origin of the bioluminescence.