It's a right of passage in Iowa: Stepping out into your backyard to see fireflies lighting up the night sky. There are more than 170 species of glowing insects known as Lampyridae in North America.

Whether you like to call them fireflies or lightning bugs, there's no denying that they are fascinating to watch on a warm summer evening. But have you wondered what makes these tiny bugs light up?

A little chemistry, a little coding and a whole lot of mating are just part of the story behind summer’s tiny fireworks show: the lightning bug. “Fireflies have adapted the ability to glow and flash ...

Those floating incandescent insects that are harmless, only come out during a short period in the summer, and are known by ...

Fireflies, otherwise known as lightning bugs, are known for their ability to glow at night. According to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, fireflies are actually not flies, but are ...

In certain parts of the U.S., summer nights begin with an unbeatable light show. As dusk settles in, tiny yellow-green beads of light pulse in the darkness: lightning bugs just starting out for the ...

On a recent trip to Illinois, Charley LeCrone took his wife and two young daughters to see the fireflies he remembered fondly from childhood. But when dusk fell, the fireflies’ blinking yellow-green ...

While putting out our recycling bin last Sunday night, I was elated to see the first lightning bugs of the year flashing their love lights to one another. There were only a few, but I excitedly ...