Katie Says: What is the Pennsylvania state insect?

I’ll give you a hint through a song lyric: “You would not believe your eyes if ten million _____ lit up the world as I fell asleep.” Did you guess? This is the first phrase from Owl City’s “Fireflies,” a song that quickly became a sensation after its release in 2009. The song plays on a familiar childhood memory of chasing and catching fireflies in our backyards and maybe even putting a few in a jar to watch their soothing nightlight as we fell asleep. It’s no wonder then, that the firefly (or lightning bug) became the official Pennsylvania state insect in 1974. We may all know the firefly for its greenish-yellow glow, but there’s much more to this insect than blinks the eye!

Despite their name, these insects are actually a species of beetle that can be found on every continent except Antarctica. There are over 2,000 species of fireflies worldwide and an astounding 175 species here in the United States alone! Although not all adult fireflies produce light, all species of eggs and larvae glow as a way of warning potential predators that they taste bad. The adults that do produce light do so in order to find not only a mate, but sometimes…dinner! Some fireflies have been known to copy the flashing patterns of other species in order to eat them!

Even the chemistry behind a firefly’s flash is amazing. Unlike bioluminescent animals which simply glow, the firefly’s ability to turn its light on and off (i.e., blink) is a rare find in nature. And the energy used to produce the light? In a normal incandescent light bulb, 10 percent of the energy that goes into the bulb is used to produce light, and the rest is emitted as heat. With fireflies, an astounding 90 percent of the energy goes into producing the light! Talk about the ultimate Energy Star appliance!

I was thrilled last week to have spotted my first firefly of the season in my own backyard! Have you spotted your first yet? Have a question or a story of your own to share? Post a comment below; it’s free and you don’t have to create an account!