Fireflies: They never fail to bring out that sense of first time wonder, the excitement of a child on a summer camping trip when the sky darkens and the flashing begins. But until a new field guide reached my desk, I hardly knew anything about them beyond that feeling. In time for their flight season this year, I wanted to get a Firefly 101, so I know more about who they are and what they’re doing out there.
Who better to get schooled in the world of fireflies by than Lynn Frierson Faust, author of Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs from the University of Georgia Press, a guide to the natural history and identification of fireflies of the Eastern and Central US and Canada.