ST. LOUIS ( KTVI ) – Those magical summer dusk scenes we shared as children featuring fireflies are slowly becoming extinct.
Depending on where you grew up, you may call them fireflies, lightning bugs or glow bugs. They have different names, but their familiar glow always signaled the beginning of summer.
Across the country, lightning bug populations are slowly fading. With their origins dating back tens of millions of years, there isn’t a definite answer to explain their disappearance. However, scientists have their theories, including habitat loss due to new development, light pollution and a changing environment.
According to Merriam-Webster , fireflies are not flies at all but beetles that emit intermittent light due to a chemical reaction of a compound called luciferin. The light is produced especially for “courtship purposes.” They also flash or glow to warn other creatures that they are too toxic to eat, scientists say.
The reaction happens in the lower part of the insect’s body and can cause a flashing or long-lasting glow, according to Mass Audubon .