Summer is in full swing, which means firefly season is officially upon us! There are more than 2,000 known species of fireflies worldwide and most communicate with patterns of flashing light. Like nature’s fireworks, they illuminate the night with their bioluminescence. These signals are used to find and attract mates, deceive other firefly species, and avoid predators. Fireflies produce light by blending a cocktail of two chemicals—luciferin and luciferase—in a specialized organ known as their lantern.

Photo: Rodd Lucier, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, flickr

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