Join the National Lightning Bug Research Project

Karen left a comment about my lightning bug blog. "Professionally, I was a chemistry teacher for many years, and continued to find the topic of light-releasing biochemical reactions interesting."

You might be interested to know that The National Children's Museum has teamed up with the Museum of Science in Boston on a project to get children involved in observing fireflies in their areas and submitting data to a national research program. Their website is www.readysetglow.org where you can sign up for the project.

In addition to a charming & appropriate name, the website is fun and creative for kids and parents. As an example, they have some cute but corny jokes about fireflies, such as "Q: Why was the firefly mother so unhappy? A: Because her children weren’t very bright." They make learning a great adventure.

Surprisingly, not a lot of research has been done on the subject of lightning bugs. With luck and lots of volunteers, that may change over the next few years. So if you live in an area of the country that has fireflies, consider getting your kids involved on this quirky project. And you can still save them in a glass jar for a little while. The bugs, that is, not the kids! lol - have fun.

Lightning Bugs or Fireflies?

We happen to have an amazing abundance of lightning bugs in Illinois this year. Or maybe you refer to them as fireflies. Something I didn't realize is that they don't live in every section of the country.

Our son and daughter-in-law are visiting from the San Fransisco Bay area in California. When we all returned from dinner last night, they were both thrilled to see hundreds and hundreds of the little creatures flying around. That's when I found out they don't have lightning bugs in California. What a shame! I have always enjoyed seeing them light up the yard or glitter over the corn and soybean fields in the country.

As we all reminisced about catching fireflies when we were young, I thought about all the countless times I had chased & caught the sparkling bugs to try to save in a glass jar. Even though we punched holes in the lid & added in some grass & twigs, unfortunately, lightning bugs cannot be saved in a bottle.

So whether it was with all my brothers and sisters when I was a kid, with my own son or grandchildren, or more recently with our grown kids, watching and catching lightning bugs is one of the simplest and most memorable experiences of summer.

If you have lightning bugs in your area, take time this summer to share the sheer joy of them with someone special. Tell your kids or grandkids stories about them when you were a kid or ask your favorite elder about their experiences. Even better, capture those fabulous stories so you can experience them again in the cold of winter.