Read an Excerpt
A Synchronized Show in the Great Smokies
While fireflies can be found over much of the eastern half of North America, some places are firefly destinations and draw tourists from around the world. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most famous example in the United States, and it draws thousands of visitors in early May and June every year. The park doesn’t just have fireflies: it features a species of synchronous fireflies in which all the fireflies in the group light up at once.
The event is so popular that the park’s website even lists suggestions for firefly etiquette. Flashlights and car headlights are frowned upon, as they interfere with the fireflies and ruin the spectators’ night vision; instead, the park suggests that visitors bring flashlights covered in blue or red cellophane. This doesn’t bother the fireflies and preserves the viewers’ night vision.
Why Synchronize?
In a forest full of synchronized fireflies, one might think that it might be hard for a female to spot a mate. After all, if all of the other males light up at the same time, it seems easy to lose them in “the crowd.”
But the reality may be just the opposite. From a female firefly’s point of view, when fireflies don’t synchronize, a dark evening can be something of a cluttered mess, with males of many firefly species flashing at once. This can make it difficult for her to find a male of her own species. Synchronized fireflies don’t have this problem.
FUN FACT
There are other such firefly destinations around the world. A number of Japanese cities hold hotaru matsuri—firefly festivals—each year; at some of these festivals, captured fireflies are released just for the occasion.
