Have you ever seen a firefly and wondered how or why? Well, Cathy Isom talks about a different type of pollinator. She has some fascinating facts about fireflies. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Fascinating Firefly Facts
If you are fortunate enough to live in an area to enjoy the magical glow of fireflies or lightning bugs. You know there is nothing better on a warm summer evening than sitting on the back porch watching quite a show as these beauties 
light up.
But if you’ve ever wondered, like me, about these fascinating, glowing insects… here are a few fun facts:
Like the adult fireflies, most firefly larva, often called glowworms, are capable of producing light. A firefly’s glowing tail uses 100% of the energy it produces to emit light. By comparison, the average incandescent light bulb releases 90% of its energy as heat and 10% as light, while fluorescent bulbs release 30% as heat and 70% as light.
Among the species of fireflies that produce a glow, each one has its own unique flash pattern. And, they use the flashes to attract mates. The glow is also a handy way to repel predators.
Since fireflies produce bitter chemicals as a response to predators, most insect-eating animals know that if it lights up, it tastes bad. It’s easy to identify fireflies by their flash patterns. Some fireflies are tricksters. While adults of most species eat pollen or smaller insects. Some female fireflies prey on male fireflies of other species.
The best place to watch fireflies is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.
I’m Cathy Isom…