![]() ![]() Every kid should catch a firefly once in a while. I think it’s really important for people to experience fireflies. Fireflies control their flashing by regulating the oxygen level in their light-producing organs. It is generated through a chemical reaction in special organs in their abdomens.Ĭhemicals, enzymes, oxygen and energy-transporting molecules within cells all coalesce to create light. Fireflies’ trademark flashing light is a well-known example of bioluminescence. Illuminating Insectsīioluminescence, or the ability of a living organism to produce light, is both breathtaking and rare. View the original data as an interactive map for comparison. Katz’ data (collected 11 years after the Harvard study) suggests firefly is becoming more popular, while fewer folks outside Appalachia and the Heartland use lightning bug exclusively. Overall, roughly 40% of respondents use “firefly” and “lightning bug” interchangeably, while about 30% each use one term exclusively. Lightning Bug: Which Do You Say? NC State alum, Josh Katz, created this map using data from a quiz he developed, based on the Harvard Dialect Survey, for The New York Times. ![]() Homegrown sat down with Clyde Sorenson - NC State’s resident firefly expert and a luminary in his own right - to help shed light on the subject in this edition of Homegrown. If you’re like us, their mysterious glow has mesmerized you since childhood. Fireflies are found across North Carolina, with 30 to 40 species (and counting) identified in the state ![]()
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