810-Lancaster Farming,
Why Do Lightning Bugs Flash Their Lights
Lightning bugs, also called fire
flies, flash their lights to attract a
mate. The fireflies you see flying
on summer evenings are all males
looking for partners.
The female does not have any
wings. She has a grublike appear-
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Guernseystand Jerseys are light brown and white
I, Saturday, September 8,1990
ance and is often called a glow
worm. Her light is bluer and dim
mer than her male counterpart’s.
(You may have luck seeing a
female firefly by looking for the
females on moonless nights after
your eyes have adjusted to the
p
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Ayrshires are red and white,
dark.)
The female waits in the glass
flashing her light to attract inter
ested males. Fireflies can tell from
the sequence of flashes whether
they are of the same species.
When visual contact is made and
Color The Cows
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proper identification determined,
the male lands and meets the
female.
One predatory species of firefly
takes advantage of this courtship.
It waits in the grass mimicking the
female’s sequence of flashes.
When the male lands to mate, he is
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Brown swiss are brown.
Holsteins are black and white.
eaten instead.
Did you know that the 1
given off by fireflies is cold li]
It does not produce heat. The 1
comes from the oxidation ol
enzyme. This reaction is ne
100-percent efficient in produt
light.
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