Fireworks & Beetles!

July 4th. is all about Independence for the American Colonies and the forming of the United States of America.  We celebrate this day with picnics, parades and fireworks.  The other night I watched fireworks from our neighbors and noticed a few fireflies and thought back to the days as a kid catching lightning bugs in a jar and watching them glow.  I also remembered helping my kids catch these interesting blinking bugs in our back yard.  I thought I knew quite a bit about these little insects, but decided to do a little extra research to post for this blog.  I was pleasantly surprised by what was posted by Purdue's Entomology website about this beneficial flying nocturnal insect. http://www.entm.purdue.edu/entomology/outreach/firefly/

SUPPORT A STATE INSECT FOR INDIANA

Insects constitute 80% of the world's animal species, and they are critical to the ecological balance of our earth. Insects are decomposers and recyclers, serve as pollinators of flowering plants and are an important food source for many animals. Insects have been used in song and poetry, For instance, the only insect-related song to top the popular music charts was "Glowworm." Sung by the Mills Brothers, this rewrite of a German folk song was a Number One hit in the 1950's.  Robert Frost wrote in his poem "Fireflies in the Garden": Here come real stars to fill the upper skies, And here on earth come emulating flies. James Whitcomb Riley states: "And fireflies like golden seeds are sown about the night."  We have a state tree (the tulip poplar), a state flower (the peony), and a state bird (the cardinal). Indiana should join 40 other states that recognize the contribution insects make to the quality of our lives by also having an official state insect.

Fireflies (also known as "lightning bugs") are widely recognized as beneficial and cool insects. A firefly would be an excellent representative of Indiana's natural wildlife heritage. In addition the lure of fireflies has been shared by many generations of Hoosiers.

The magic of cold, living light production by fireflies has fascinated scientists for years. Understanding the chemistry of firefly light has resulted in the life-saving glow sticks that duplicate the light production system of this insect. Luciferin and luciferase have also been used in medical research as cancer and multiple sclerosis.

A Special Firefly

The firefly proposed as the official Indiana State Insect is Pyractomena angulata (Say), also known as "Say's Firefly." It was named by Indiana's eminent naturalist, Thomas Say, in 1824. Say lived and worked in New Harmony in Posey County, and is considered the Father of American Entomology. By naming this particular species as the state insect, we are also honoring one of the great figures in Indiana history.  Purdue has presented a strong case for fireflies to become Indiana’s State Insect!

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The University of Kentucky website:

WHAT IS A LIGHTNINGBUG?

Like all beetles, Lightningbugs, also called Fireflies, have chewing mouthparts and hardened front wings (elytra) that meet in a straight line down the back of the abdomen when closed.  Most lightningbugs have glowing abdomens, but even the species that do not glow are easily recognized by their elongated bodies, distinctive black-and-orange colors, and their hood-like "pronotums."

All insects have a pronotum, the first plate on the top of the thorax, but lightningbugs have large pronotums which conceal the head when viewed from the top.  Lightningbugs are also unusual among beetles because their elytra, while more hardened than normal insect wings, are much softer than the elytra of most beetles.  Most lightningbug species are about 1/2-3/4" long, but some species are much smaller, at about 1/4". MYTHS - LEGENDS - FOLKLORE Because they are so noticable, lightningbugs have always been a part of human culture, and they have often been the subject of myth, legend, and folklore.  Europeans once believed that if a lightningbug flew in a window, a person would soon die.  The Chinese believed that lightningbugs were produced by burning grass.  Native Americans smeared glowing lightningbugs on their faces for decoration.  Japanese believed that fireflies represented the souls of the dead, an idea expressed in the animated movie, Grave of the Fireflies (1988).  There is also a novel called Fireflies (1970) by Shiva Naipaul.  In the book, a Trinidad man is fascinated by fireflies on his first trip to the countryside.

From the National Geographic Website: 

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/firefly/

Fireflies are familiar insects that are actually beetles, nocturnal members of the family Lampyridae. There are about 2,000 firefly species. Fireflies love humid, moist regions of Asia and the Americas.

Many people don't know how the insects produce their signature glow. Fireflies have dedicated light organs that are located under their abdomens. The insects take in oxygen and, inside special cells, combine it with a substance called luciferin to produce light with almost no heat. Firefly light is usually intermittent, and flashes in patterns as an optical signal that attracts mates. Scientists are not sure how the insects regulate this process to turn their lights on and off. Firefly light may also serve as a defense mechanism that flashes a clear warning of the insect's unappetizing taste.

From Wikipedia:

The Lampyridae are a family of insects in the beetle order Coleoptera. They are winged beetles, and 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.  Firefly luciferase is used in forensics, and the enzyme has medical uses — in particular, for detecting the presence of ATP or magnesium.

^{From NC State University Entomology website: http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent425/library/compendium/coleoptera.html} 

The name Coleoptera, derived from the Greek words "koleos" meaning sheath and "ptera" meaning wings, refers to the modified front wings which serve as protective covers for the membranous hind wings.

Coleoptera (beetles and weevils) is the largest order in the class Insecta.  As adults, most beetles have a hard, dense exoskeleton that covers and protects most of their body surface.  The front wings, known as elytra, are just as hard as the rest of the exoskeleton.  They fold down over the abdomen and serve as protective covers for the large, membranous hind wings.  At rest, both elytra meet along the middle of the back, forming a straight line that is probably the most distinctive characteristics of the order.  During flight, the elytra are held out to the sides of the body where they provide a certain amount of aerodynamic stability.

Now, you know a little more about this special beetle that can create its own fireworks.  After generations of Hoosier & Tri-State kids catching fireflies (or lightning bugs as we always called them) in jars, these little bugs may become Indiana’s State Insect.  Thinking back many years, give me a special glow for the memories of my childhood with the hopes and dreams of my youth.