It’s the season for spotting fireflies in some parts of the US, especially in the humid or damp areas that the winged beetles love. For fireflies themselves, it’s a season of love. They create these soft flashes of light as they search for a suitable mate. The glow is produced by a chemical reaction in a firefly’s abdomen. In addition to attracting a partner, the light is believed to deter potential predators by signaling that the insect’s chemical makeup may produce a foul taste or even be toxic. The fireflies in our homepage image were photographed with a long exposure in the Philippines, where fireflies are a popular tourist attraction. Some firefly species here and in other parts of Southeast Asia are known for their synchronized flashing, creating dramatic light shows in the dark.
A summertime light show
Today in History
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Skógafoss waterfall, Iceland
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‘Hello’ from zero degrees longitude
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Happy Presidents Day
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Lanterns alight in Pingxi
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Lake Peipus, Estonia
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Combating extinction with citizen science
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1.1 billion opportunities for a better world
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Celebrating migrations
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The power of the forest
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Work out on your way to work
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Mangrove Conservation Day
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Goliath heron in Kruger National Park, South Africa
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Terraced rice fields, Yuanyang County, China
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Seitan Limania Beach, Crete
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Bald cypress trees in Georgia
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Diamond Beach, Iceland
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Adorably evolutionary sea sheep
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Salt of the earth
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A place called ‘Peace’ in India
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Happy Thanksgiving!
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We re gonna need a bigger birdhouse
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International Day of the Tropics
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The most Instagrammable bird?
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Does it swim in slow motion too?
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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!