Why Can't We Glow Like Fireflies?Author: Nabanita DeshmukhIllustrator: Samidha Gunjal

Fireflies are small wingedinsects that glow in the darkbut why do they shine andwhat creates this sparkwithin them?

They’re bright and twinklinglike little stars! I wish I couldhave glowed like them but Ican’t! Can anyone tell mewhy?

2/14

Imagine a dark, moonlessnight when you have gonecamping with yourclassmates and you loseyour way. What would youdo? Will you not trycontacting your friends byflashing your torchlight?

3/14

Well, fireflies or ‘lightningbugs’ as they aresometimes called do thesame, except that they havean unlimited supply of lightwithin themselves! That iswhy fireflies never worryabout fused light bulbs orelectricity tariffs. They seemimmensely happy just flyingaround and glowing- this istheir signal to say, “Hey,look! I’m here!”

4/14

The glow of the firefly isproduced by a proteincalled luciferase and apigment called luciferin.Proteins are special foodused by our bodies to createmuscles, bones and skinwhile pigments are naturalcolouring substances foundin plants and animals. Whenthese two meet inside thetiny belly of the firefly, theyreact with the oxygenalready found in there.

5/14

A celebration takes place, asoft firework display, so tosay and bright light isproduced which is the‘glow’ of the firefly!

Fireflies therefore are bio-luminescent but they arenot the only ones. Differenttypes of fish and marinecreatures in the sea alsoproduce their own lights!

6/14

The glow of the fireflyfunctions like a light switchand is periodically turned onand off by the insect. It doesthis by sending a special‘message’ from its brain tothe ‘light organ’ inside itsbody that is its abdomenand soon the chemicalreaction begins and theglow is produced!

7/14

The grown up fireflies usetheir ‘glow’ to call out totheir mates. In fact, femalefireflies prefer ‘flashy males’that can blink the longest orat a faster pace.

Once they see this specialglow, the females respondto it by switching on theirown lights. The firefly-matessoon meet and baby firefliesget created!

8/14

The younger fireflies or thelarvae, unlike their parents,use their glow mainly tochase predators away. Thechemicals within theirbodies are toxic and have ahorrible taste so creaturesthat come to feast on themget put off and go huntingelsewhere for tastiermunchies!

9/14

Fireflies are never actuallyalone! There are more than2,000 species of fireflies onthis earth. Duringspringtime, especially ondark nights, you may spot afew of them flitting aroundbrightly!

Fireflies maybe tiny, smallerthan your fingers perhaps,but grouped together, theseglowing insects can light upan entire garden and all forfree!

Sounds incredible, doesn’tit?

10/14

Amazing facts about fireflies

1. Fireflies are not flies but beetles! They areoften called ‘lightning bugs’ but they aren’tbugs either.

2. Different species of fireflies glow in differentcolors that range from yellow to green.Fireflies that flit around in the dark emit agreenish glow while those found outdoorsduring twilight give out a yellowish light.

11/14

3. There are a few non-vegetarian fireflies thatfeed on mites and other fireflies!

4. Adult fireflies aren’t the only ones that glow,their eggs and larvae glow as well! If you tap afirefly’s egg, it flashes in response to yourtouch.

5. Fireflies live in all continents exceptAntarctica. They love tropical climate but alsothrive in temperate zones. They flit aroundforests, meadows and gardens duringsummer everywhere except in Antarctica thatis much too cold for them.

12/14

Do It Yourself

1. Find out what else glowsin the dark. Both, living andnon-living.

2. While playing in a group,imagine yourselves asfireflies. Carry a small torchin your hand and makedifferent formations likefireflies.

13/14

3. Make a firefly with trash.For example, with a plasticbottle and glow stick.You can also try your ownspecial ideas.

14/14

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The development of this book has been supported by OracleGiving Initiative.

Story Attribution:This story: Why Can't We Glow Like Fireflies? is written by Nabanita Deshmukh . © Pratham Books , 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0license.

Other Credits:This book has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books.The development of this book has been supported by Oracle Giving Initiative.www.prathambooks.org

Images Attributions:Cover page: Boy looking with fascination at fireflies glowing at night, by Samidha Gunjal © Storyweaver, Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved.Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 2: Boy looking with fascination at fireflies glowing at night, by Samidha Gunjal © Storyweaver, Pratham Books, 2015.Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 3: Children with lights in the forest at night, by Samidha Gunjal © Storyweaver, PrathamBooks, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 4: Boy and girl looking at fireflies glowing in the dark, by Samidha Gunjal ©Storyweaver, Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 5: Firefly glowing at night, by Samidha Gunjal ©Storyweaver, Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 6: The boy watching luminous marine creatures, bySamidha Gunjal © Storyweaver, Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 7: Firefly glowing, by Samidha Gunjal ©Storyweaver, Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 8: Fireflies, by Samidha Gunjal © Storyweaver, PrathamBooks, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 9: Fireflies chasing predators at night, by Samidha Gunjal © Storyweaver,Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 10: Children watch firefly glowing, by Samidha Gunjal © Storyweaver,Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 11: Bug and fireflies, by Samidha Gunjal © Storyweaver, PrathamBooks, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.

This book was made possible by Pratham Books' StoryWeaver platform. Content under CreativeCommons licenses can be downloaded, translated and can even be used to create new stories ‐provided you give appropriate credit, and indicate if changes were made. To know more aboutthis, and the full terms of use and attribution, please visit the following link.

Disclaimer: https://www.storyweaver.org.in/terms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved. This book is CC -BY -4.0 licensed. You can copy, modify,distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without askingpermission. For full terms of use and attribution,http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The development of this book has been supported by OracleGiving Initiative.

Images Attributions:Page 12: More about fireflies, by Samidha Gunjal © Storyweaver, Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 13:Girl and boy with torches, by Samidha Gunjal © Storyweaver, Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 14: Makefirefly using trash, by Samidha Gunjal © Storyweaver, Pratham Books, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.

This is a Level 3 book for children who are ready to read on their own.

(English)

Why Can't We Glow LikeFireflies? Did you know that fireflies are also called lightning bugs? And did

you know that baby fireflies use their glow to chase awaypredators? Jump right into this book if you want to find out moreabout these creatures that light up the dark.

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