Let’s light up your life and butt. World-renowned firefly expert Dr. Sara Lewis of Tufts University gives us some updates to her 2021 episode, sharing her love of a bug that many think is merely mythological. Learn how these tiny animals illuminate the night, the dos and don’ts of firefly observation, how to take good firefly photos, femme fatales, pink glowworms, secret languages, artificial lights, what’s up with their population numbers, why Western states can chill out with their lightning bug envy, and how you can ensure the world stays aglow with these beloved bugs. Also: nuptial gifts, both human and lampyridological.

Listen via Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Podbay, Podcast Addict, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Visit Dr. Sara Lewis’s website and follow her on Threads

Buy her book, Silent Sparks: The Wondrous World of Fireflies!

A donation went to Fireflyers International

More links you may enjoy:

Dr. Sara Lewis’s book

Dr. Lewis’s lab at Tufts University

Dr. Sara Lewis’s work on ResearchGate

Her TED2014 Talk

Booklet (with great photos)

Brochure

Firefly-friendly Lighting Practices

Fireflyers International Network is an international group of firefly scientists, artists, and other enthusiasts dedicated to firefly research, education, advocacy, and conservation

Friends of Fireflyers International

News story about their 2020 work on global threats to fireflies

A field guide to fireflies of the western US (pdf)

The Western Firefly Project

New Mexico Firefly Project

Pink Glowworms in California!

Xerces.org info on pink glowworm

Great pic of firefly butts

Predatory firefly GORGING on a littler one

Relaxing firefly footage with harp music

Firefly Experience

Warning colors aka Aposematism