Nature Net News
Your portal for nature tips
& tricks for exploring nature with your kids
June 2010
Fireflies
"I like to chase the fireflies,
Chase them to and fro'
I like to watch them dart about,
Their little lamps aglow.
In the evening's twilight dim
I follow them about,
I often think I have one caught,
And then his light goes out.
I cannot tell just where he is
Until he winks, you see,
Then far away I see his light,
He's played a joke on me."
-Grace Wilson Coplen
Dear Reader, Who can resist smiling when they see their first firefly dance of the year? Memories of childhood and warm summer nights come flooding back: staying out late after dark and running among masses of fireflies; mystically eluding our grasp, marveling at how they would appear and disappear before our very eyes. The magic of fireflies has not dimmed, but they need our help more than ever. Read this month's issue of Nature Net News and visit the UW Arboretum to see the fireflies and learn about how valuable a healthy habitat is to their survival. And enjoy a natural "light show" this summer. Enjoy! Kathe & Sarah |
There are over 2,000 firefly species?
Fireflies are also called Lightning Bugs
Firefly larva and eggs glow in the dark--just like the adults
Fireflies are actually beetles!
What to Do This Month:
Go firefly viewing! Fireflies like very dark places with no lights, long grasses, and low overhanging trees. Just remember if you catch one, to let it go before heading home!
Join Firefly Watch to help scientists discover what environment makes fireflies tick and where to go if you want to go firefly watching.
Tricks of the Trail for Parents:
Fireflies are not flashlights
Be careful when going firefly catching in a strange place--the darkness that the fireflies love can hide pitfalls that will trip or hurt your little one. Fireflies only light the way for themselves, so bring your own flashlight!
Instant Outdoor Expert:
Lights of Love (and other things)
Fireflies use their lights to communicate all sorts of things. Sometimes it's to find mates, sometimes mated females mimic the lights of other species of fireflies to attract males and eat them.
But now fireflies are in danger of disappearing because of light pollution. Read more about it here and here.
Featured Nature Net Site
Nature Craft
UW Arboretum
Since 1934 the
University of Wisconsin - Madison Arboretum has been restoring the land, advancing ecological restoration, and fostering Aldo Leopold's land ethic. The Arboretum features many distinct ecological communities, several horticultural collections, effigy mounds, historic artifacts, a Visitor Center and more than 20 miles of a trail system composed of footpaths, boardwalks and fire lanes.
Take one of their guided firefly walks!
Great Glowing Fireflies!
What you need: wide, flat craft stick, glow in the
dark paint, black marker, googly eyes, tissue paper, scissors, glue.
1. Color half of stick with black marker.
2. Paint other half of stick with glow in the dark paint.
3. Glue eyes on unpainted end of stick.
4. While paint dries, cut tissue paper into four ovals for wings.
5. Glue wings on, two on each side.
6. Let your firefly dry in the sun, then take it out at night and watch it glow!
Suggested Reading:
"The Very Lonely Firefly" by Eric Carle (all ages)
"Firefly Night" by Carole Gerber (baby-6)
"Sam and the Firefly" by P. D. Eastman (4-8)
"Fireflies!" by Julie Brinkloe (4-8)
"Firefly at Stonybrook Farm" by Wendy Pfeffer
"Fireflies in the Night" by Judy Hawkes (4-8)
"Fireflies" by Margaret Hall (9-12)
