Fireflies Count!
You can participate in the National Firefly Count and help save a really cool bug!
I am participating in the
National Firefly Count. I find fireflies as the most interesting type of bug. I
have registered for the Firefly Count and have already started counting the
fireflies.
Fortunately, I can still see
a decent number of fireflies in my backyard. However, I notice that their
numbers are dwindling year by year. I did not make a formal count like
the one that I am doing currently, but I recall witnessing a greater population
of these insects last year in my very own backyard.
In my neighborhood, we are
currently witnessing a new building development. That probably explains one of
the reasons for fewer fireflies.
Fireflies are the most
interesting creatures. They represent a totally unique form of life, that can
naturally generate light emissions using their own biological tools. It is also
very strange that fireflies cannot see certain shades of light.
Counting Fireflies
The first challenge that I
had to encounter before participating in this project, was to figure-out an
ideal location to perform a firefly count on a consistent basis. Given
the fact, that our lawn needs regular fertilizers, weekly lawn mowing, and
sometimes pesticides, I chose an area in my backyard a little away from the
lawn. I designated this as my “count-point.”
It is a point where I can stand-still and make a count of all visible
fireflies.
The second challenge that I
had to face was to make sure that the area at the time of count is devoid of
any uncontrolled light. For example, car-lights on the street, building-lights,
and the street lights.
After I took care of these
little issues, the firefly count has become a great fun activity. Me and
my sister get ready with our blue acetate covered lights and jars to go out and
do the weekly count. (Sometimes, she surpasses me in the count-game, but
nevertheless it is a lot of fun).
On my first week of
counting, I saw 18 of them in 10 seconds. My sister saw 20.
However, I estimate that there were probably about a hundred
blinking lights from the fireflies in my one-acre backyard at that moment.
Read more about the count
and how to participate on Scholastic News Online.
—Gopa Praturi
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