The Magic — And Science — Of Synchronous Firefly Displays

Short Wave

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4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 17 July 2024

⏱️ 16 minutes

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Summary

Every year for two weeks between mid-May and mid-June, Congaree National Park in South Carolina is home to a fairy-tale-like display of flashing lights. These rhythmic performances happen all because of thousands of fireflies, flashing their belly lanterns at exactly the same time. According to the National Park Service, there are just three types of these synchronous fireflies in North America, making the experience all the more magical for the lucky visitors who get the chance to see them.

Firefly scientists and enthusiasts hope these displays in places like Congaree will inspire people to care about other kinds of fireflies, also known as lightning bugs, in the U.S., which are not as well-studied – or well-protected – as synchronous ones. Some community scientists are already taking on this mission with projects like the Firefly Atlas, where volunteers can help survey for fireflies and report sightings.

This story was originally reported for NPR by science correspondent Pien Huang. Read Pien's full story here.

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Transcript

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0:15.2	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:20.5	Hey Shortwaavers Regina Barbara here and a few weeks ago, I went on a wild nighttime ride.
0:26.0	We're in this like cart that this lady is biking us around with a dog.
0:31.0	And we're looking for bugs.
0:34.0	Friend of the show and wonderful beloved reporter,
0:37.5	Ping Wong was there.
0:39.0	We are loaded up here in the cargo wagon.
0:43.0	Cargo bike and we are very tightly pushed in and Ping is a patient, patient woman.
0:50.0	And she has a dog on one side of her and me smushing her on the other side.
0:57.6	It was a tight fit.
0:59.1	It was.
1:00.1	I felt terrible pick because you had organized this trip to see something very specific and very special.
1:05.0	It's true Gina. We were out on a bike trail at 9 p.m. on a weekday for a reason.
1:12.0	And even though there were cars... on a weekday for a reason.
1:13.0	And even though there were cars zooming past us
1:16.1	planes flying overhead, the conditions were actually totally perfect.
1:20.9	They were magical.
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